September 03, 2019: Qatar Airways group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, met with the prime minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, following the opening of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Conference in Kuala Lumpur on August 26, 2019.

Al Baker, said, "Malaysia is an important, and growing, market for Qatar Airways as shown by our new route to Langkawi, which will operate from 15 October. We were able to discuss a wide range of mutually beneficial issues and I look forward to a continuing dialogue with him and his government."


Al Baker took the opportunity to discuss several issues of mutual interest, including developments in the global aviation industry and Qatar Airways' upcoming launch of flights to Langkawi, during separate meetings with Mohamad, and the minister of transport for Malaysia, Anthony Loke Siew Fook.

The new service to Langkawi, starting October 15, 2019, is part of the airline's strong expansion plans in Southeast Asia and marks Qatar Airways' third destination in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur and Penang. The airline will launch a four-time weekly service to Langkawi via Penang, increasing to five-times weekly from October 27, 2019 on its state-of-the-art B787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The airline has already launched a host of new destinations in 2019, including Lisbon, Portugal; Malta; Rabat, Morocco; Davao, Philippines; Izmir, Turkey; and Mogadishu, Somalia; and will also add Gaborone, Botswana to its extensive network in October 2019.