Qatar Airways has launched thrice-weekly scheduled flights to the Western Australian city of Perth, the country’s mining and exploration hub. Perth becomes Qatar Airways’ second gateway in Australia after Melbourne – and the carrier’s 117th destination worldwide. The route will be operated by the airline’s flagship long-haul Boeing 777 aircraft. “There has never been a better time to expand in Australia – a time when the Australian dollar is strong and business and leisure travellers worldwide search for easier and quicker ways to connect and do business,” said Qatar Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Akbar Al Baker. “Our flight connections to Africa in particular will greatly please the people of Western Australia, whose strong links with the mining and business communities in East Africa signal enormous growth potential. Qatar Airways remains committed to opening up access to destinations that are largely underserved by international airlines and have great market potential. Perth is an example of this ... We sincerely look forward to growing the Perth route and we are already looking to improve frequency to a daily service by the end of the year.” Qatar Airways also operates daily non-stop scheduled flights from Melbourne to Doha using Boeing 777 long-range aircraft with onward connections to cities across Europe, Africa, Middle East and both North and South America.