Qatar Airways has appointed Christopher Paykel as the new country manager for New Zealand, with the position seeing him lead the airline’s operations across the country. Paykel replaces outgoing commercial manager, Bjorn Burton, who was with the company from 2017 to 2021.

A Qatar Airways Airbus A380 took to the skies for the first time in more than 18 months earlier this week, positioning the aircraft from Doha International Airport (DIA) to Hamad International Airport (HIA) after the airline reluctantly brought the fleet back into operation due to ongoing capacity shortage.

It is anticipated that at least five of the airline’s 10 A380s will be brought back into service on a temporary basis over the coming weeks to support fleet capacity on key winter routes, including London Heathrow (LHR) and Paris (CDG), from 15 December 2021.

Qatar Airways intends to operate to 80 destinations by the end of June, including 33 in Asia Pacific – but conspicuous by its absence on a just released list is Auckland.

Destinations that do make the list include Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Though enquiries to the airline last night did not receive a definite answer, trade sources indicate it may be late October before QR returns to AKL.

A focus on business class, particularly the Q Suite that will be available on the daily flight out of Auckland from 1 June, was the key aspect of Qatar Airways’ premium trade presentation in Auckland last week.