Qatar Airways operated nearly 14,000 flights during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which concluded on December 18 and was chosen as ‘The Greatest Tournament in the 21st Century’ in a BBC News poll. Qatar Airways provided “dedicated” passenger overflow spaces outside Hamad International Airport and Doha International Airport, at no cost, where football festivities and live entertainment could be enjoyed while also providing storage space for luggage and carry-ons. This space allowed fans to continue enjoying the celebrations before they departed to their respective destinations. As part of the commitment to make the first ever FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 hosted in the Middle East and Arab world an “all-inclusive” gala event, Qatar Airways tied up with flydubai, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air and Saudia to connect match ticket holders to Doha via Match Day Shuttle flights for 24-hour experiences, during the tournament period. In 2017, Qatar Airways announced its partnership with FIFA as the 'Official Airline'. The alliance has gone on to connect and unite fans globally, with the national airline also sponsoring numerous football tournaments such as the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the FIFA Women's World Cup. In September, Qatar Airways was named “Airline of the Year” by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax, for an unprecedented seventh time. <br/>
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The Qantas aircraft that was grounded in Azerbaijan last Friday is due to start its journey back home to Australia on Monday evening and return to service later in the week. The Airbus A380 aircraft was on its way to London from Singapore two days before Christmas when a faulty sensor indicated there could be smoke in the cargo hold, prompting its pilots to ground the aircraft at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku. The sensor has since been replaced and the aircraft has been deemed safe to operate by the airlines engineers and an Airbus representative. Another A380 departed Sydney on Saturday morning for Baku to rescue the passengers who found themselves in Azerbaijan instead of London. The second A380 arrived in Heathrow on Christmas morning, two days after their scheduled arrival. Some passengers did not wait to board the recovery aircraft, choosing instead to buy new flights to get them to their destinations. A Qantas spokesperson said the second A380 was one of the operational spares the carrier has on standby over the holiday season to “help recover customers in the event of an unexpected disruption like this.” “Having these aircraft and additional pilots and cabin crew on standby has provided flexibility to operate the recovery flight at short notice and minimise the disruption to customers,” a Qantas spokesperson said.<br/>