Qatar Airways unveiled an Arabic-enabled version of Sama, the world’s first AI digital cabin crew, and offered a virtual reality experience of Hamad International Airport.
Qatar Airways (QA) revealed new abilities for Sama, the world’s first AI digital human cabin crew, including understanding Arabic dialects and responding in Modern Standard Arabic, at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025 in Dubai on Monday.
ATM 2025 is an annual global event focused on the tourism and travel industries in the Middle East, with this year’s edition held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from April 28 to May 1.
At QA’s showcase on the first day of ATM 2025, Sama interacted live with people by assisting with bookings and travel queries and offered destination guidance.
“The airline’s experience stand centred around cultural resonance, immersive innovation, and the evolving needs of today’s Arab traveller, reinforcing Qatar Airways’ leadership in reshaping the future of digital travel in the region and beyond,” according to the QA news release.
Visitors to QA’s stand also explored the debut of “The ORCHARD in the QVerse,” a virtual reality exploration of Hamad International Airport (HIA)’s singature indoor garden.
QA’s showcase also featured a replica of the inside the Qatar Airways Qsuite Next Gen, which was formally presented to the public for the first time at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom last July.
“We, at Qatar Airways, are proud to return to ATM with industry innovations that reflect the diversity and spirit of our region,” Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said in a QA press release. “Our immersive initiatives, from The ORCHARD VR to Qsuite Next Gen, show how the future of travel can be digital, yet deeply human.”
On the sidelines of ATM 2025, QA also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Visit Maldives and Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism to increase visitor arrivals to HIA and to explore new opportunities for tourism promotion.
QA also confirmed increased flights to several key destinations for summer, including: Dar Es Salaam and Kilimanjaro; Entebbe; Tokyo Narita; Maputo–Durban; Larnaca; Trabzon; Sharjah; Manchester; Madrid; Lisbon; and London Heathrow.
QA won the “World’s Best Airline” for the eighth time at the Skytrax 2024 World Airline Awards, in addition to “World’s Best Business Class.” QA was also recently voted the “World’s Best Airline Website” by World Travel Tech Awards in 2024.
