DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways will be one of the leading international companies attending the upcoming St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg, Russia, from 2-5 June.
Now in its 24th edition, SPIEF is one of the largest investment and economy-focused events of its kind in the world and will feature the State of Qatar as a guest country.
Held under the patronage of the Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin every year, SPIEF is organized by Roscongress Foundation and convenes individuals from leading Russian and international companies, political figures, and business leaders from around the world. The State of Qatar’s honorary position at the Forum as a guest country demonstrates the dedication and commitment of both countries to further cement their existing economic, cultural, and tourism relations.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is a hugely important global event, and economic development will be of paramount importance following the damage done by the pandemic.
“Qatar Airways is proud to be among the key drivers of trade between the State of Qatar and the Russian Federation, as demonstrated by our continuous commitment to the Russian market throughout the years. We are looking forward to welcoming guests and visitors to our exhibition stand, where they can experience our world-class products and hospitality firsthand.”
Qatar Airways first began its operations in the capital of Russia, back in 2003, and celebrates over 17 years of direct flights to Moscow. In 2017, the airline further demonstrated its commitment to the region by adding direct flights to St. Petersburg.
The Forum was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 but was later postponed to June 2021, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s edition is set to take place from 2-5 June, under strict health and safety measures. The previous edition of the Forum, held in 2019, gathered over 19,000 participants from as many as 145 countries and saw the signing of some 745 business agreements.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by Skytrax. It was also named Best Airline in the Middle East, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. The Qsuite seat layout is a 1-2-1 configuration, providing passengers with the most spacious, fully private, comfortable, and social distanced Business Class product in the sky. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ title, which is recognized as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times. HIA was recently ranked ‘Third Best Airport in the World’, among 550 airports worldwide, by the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2020.
