The Airbus A330-200 was greeted by a water salute to usher in the new four- times weekly service to Southern Thailand’s west coast.

On board the inaugural flight was Qatar Airways senior vice president of Asia Pacific, Marwan Koleilat, and Thailand’s ambassador to Qatar, Soonthorn Chaiyindeepum.

With the launch of this new service Qatar Airways has become the first Middle Eastern airline to provide scheduled services to Krabi, providing fast and convenient access to one of the world’s most popular tourism regions.

Travellers can now enjoy year-round services to the incredible islands of Phi Phi National Park, while also enjoying other cultural experiences in the Southern Thai province famous for stunning land and seascapes, world-class diving, national parks and eco-tours.

Koleilat said that the new service to Krabi opens up a host of convenient global destinations for the people of Krabi and its region and “I’d like to thank the Thai people for their continued support over the last 20 years”. Krabi is a province of stunning natural beauty, with towering limestone formations hugging a myriad of tropical beaches.

The area is home to the famous Tiger Cave Temple, Railay Beach. Ko Poda, Khao Phanom Bencha National Park and Ko Lanta Yai; combining to attract a considerable number of sun-seeking tourists every year.

Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, said that Krabi is one of Thailand’s most iconic regions.

It is situated on the Andaman Sea and is rich with pearly beaches, translucent waters, coral reefs, waterfalls and natural caves.

“Last year, Thailand received more than 39,000 tourists from Qatar and with this new route, we expect more tourist arrivals in the years ahead,” Yuthasak said.

The TAT governor also said the new route provides great connectivity for travellers coming from other parts of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

Krabi has become the third strategic destination in Thailand that Qatar Airways serves.

Following the inaugural service to Bangkok in 1996, Qatar Airways launched services to Phuket in 2010 and will begin services to Chiang Mai in 2017.