Doha: Qatar Airways announced that it reached an agreement to become the Official Global Airline Partner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the team’s home, Barclays Center.
Barclays Center, at the centre of Brooklyn, New York, is a world-class indoor venue and is ranked in the top five centres in the US in gross revenue and attendance.
This marks the first major partnership between the airline and an NBA team or venue. The multi-year agreement will provide Qatar Airways with maximum exposure in the US while strengthening the airline’s global sponsorship portfolio and uniting people from around the world at a renowned entertainment venue.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is delighted to sign this exciting sponsorship agreement with the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center, a major NBA franchise and a world-renowned venue which hosts some of the most thrilling sporting and entertainment events globally. This new partnership will provide Qatar Airways with maximum exposure to the rest of the world, echoing our belief in bringing people together. We are proud to be able to bring spectators from around the world to New York, and we look forward to celebrating together at Barclays Center.”
Qatar Airways currently operates two daily flights to New York, serviced by an Airbus A350-900 and a Boeing 777-300ER. Starting 28 October, Qatar Airways’ ultra-modern A350-1000 will join the airline’s New York JFK route, enabling passengers travelling to and from the US to enjoy the world’s most comfortable and technologically-advanced passenger aircraft.
Qatar Airways holds an extensive global sports portfolio, sponsoring some of the biggest teams around the world. In addition to its existing partnership with the German football club giants FC Bayern Munich, for which it is a Platinum Partner, Qatar Airways also recently revealed multi-year sponsorship agreements with Italian football club AS Roma, for which it will become the Official Jersey Sponsor, and with Argentinian football club Boca Juniors, for which it will become the Official Jersey Sponsor.
In May 2017, Qatar Airways announced a groundbreaking sponsorship deal with FIFA, which saw the award-winning airline become the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA until 2022. The partnership, one of the biggest sporting sponsorships in the world, will give Qatar Airways extensive marketing and branding rights at the 2022 World Cup Qatar, with an expected audience reach of more than two billion people.
The agreement sees Qatar Airways become the Official Airline Partner of the FIFA Club World Cup, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the FIFA Under-20 and Under 17 World Cups, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, and the FIFA Interactive World Cup.
Qatar Airways serves 10 cities across the US, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The award-winning airline provides double-daily flights from New York’s JFK airport.
