Eric Didier , Director France Qatar Airways

How is your business doing in France?

Eric Didier - Last year we doubled our capacity between Paris and Doha from 51 % to eleven weekly frequencies, and I have to say that our traffic has followed suit. We welcomed 220,000 passengers on our routes, 62 % of whom were French. We are now entering a period of consolidation with an increase in our offer of 7 % for 2007-2008. However, our objective remains to achieve two daily frequencies. Other good news for the Rhône-Alpes market is the inauguration of four frequencies a week on the Doha-Geneva-Newark route, which offers an excellent product both to the United States and to Asia.

What product improvements are you proposing?

Eric Didier - We have worked hard to offer the best possible product, whatever the class of travel. One of the most remarkable developments, for example, is our Premium terminal in Doha, reserved exclusively for first and business class passengers, and even offering a spa! It's a considerable selling point... In Paris, we have just moved into the renovated CDG 1 area, with 100 % of our aircraft in contact with the terminal. We offer a totally uniform in-flight product on all our Airbus A330 and A340 flights, including seat-beds in our high-contribution classes. Finally, since March, our website has allowed online ticket reservations and purchases.

What are your strengths in terms of service?

Eric Didier - Beyond the Gulf region, we are the market leader in the Maldives in terms of our offer. We even lack capacity on the route. We also have an excellent position on Nepal and Burma. What's more, our new routes to Madras, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City are exceeding all our forecasts. Without advertising, we already have a market share of 10 % on Madras and Bali and 5 % on Saigon from France. We are now working on improving our connections to China.