Johannesburg - As the reigning rugby world champions, the Springboks will travel in absolute luxury thanks to a very generous sponsorship from Qatar Airways.
Speaking to Independent Media from the airline's headquarters in Doha, Head of the Africa division Hendrik du Preez said when the opportunity arose to build on their brand, they could think of no better team than the boys in the green and gold. Qatar Airways is also the carrier of choice for the United Rugby Championship and was for the Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia this year.
“We have not seen the Springboks play the All Blacks at Twickenham since 2008. This was too big an opportunity to pass on. The Springboks have a huge global status and there is a massive South African community in the UK, so to bring this kind of clash to them is as huge for us,” he said.
Du Preez said when the Boks played Ireland in 2016 and 2017 in Cape Town, between five and six thousand Irish supporters flew to Cape Town and this was a much-needed cash injection for the local economy.
“Soccer is and has always been a crowd favourite. It boosts the local economy and that is invaluable. Our facilities here in Doha were designed to be family-friendly with the aim to bring more international games to our shores,” he added.
And while there is just one well-known rugby club in Doha, authorities have spared no expenses in building their stadiums to world-class standards. .
“We have a new Garden Lounge at our airport that is equipped with a full gym, a swimming pool and everything a sports team could possibly need. If you have a lengthy lay-over, you can use the time to catch up on some gym training. There is even a full rehab centre for athletes in need of extra TLC,” he said.
Given all this luxury, it comes as no surprise that Qatar Airlines has now also become the official airline partner of Formula One.
Qatar Airways was announced as the “Airline of the Year” at the 2022 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. The airline continues to be synonymous with excellence having won the main prize for an unprecedented seventh time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022), while also being named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’.
Qatar Airways currently flies to more than 160 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, voted by Skytrax as the ‘World’s Best Airport’ in 2021 and 2022 consecutively. This year, Hamad International Airport has been ranked by Skytrax as the second-best airport in the world, and received the “Best Airport in the Middle East” accolade for the ninth time in a row, as well as ‘World’s Best Airport Shopping’. And while the Boks carry with them the hope of a nation and possibly a continent, they will get to where they need to be in the lap of luxury.