- Partnership will see airline become the official shirt sponsor of the club through the 2020-21 season
- AS Roma is one of the best-known football clubs in the Italian league
- Qatar Airways operates double-daily services to Rome and Milan as well as daily flights to Venice and Pisa
Qatar Airways is pleased to announce that it has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Italian football club AS Roma, further strengthening the award-winning airline’s commitment to Italy. The agreement, the largest ever signed by the club, will see Qatar Airways become AS Roma’s Main Global Partner, with the airline’s logo to adorn the team’s shirts through the 2020-21 season.
The partnership will also enable Qatar Airways to engage with millions of the club’s fans worldwide and help Roma reach millions of potential new fans across the globe. Qatar Airways will be only the seventh shirt sponsor in the club’s 90-year history.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are very pleased to announce this new partnership, which will see Qatar Airways become the official shirt sponsor of AS Roma through the 2020-21 season. AS Roma is one of the most successful and well-known football clubs in the world, and our shared passion to strive for excellence and innovation make this a natural partnership. As an airline, we understand the power of sport in bringing people together, and our new partnership with AS Roma further underscores this belief. We look forward to working together and celebrating with AS Roma fans all over the globe.”
AS Roma President, Mr. Jim Pallotta, said: “We are delighted to announce this historic partnership between AS Roma and Qatar Airways, two great brands with global ambitions. Today’s announcement is the result of discussions behind the scenes for more than eight months with Qatar Airways, led by our commercial team in London with much assistance from the entire Roma team, and comes at a significant time in the club’s history, on and off the pitch.
“With a new stadium due to begin construction late this year and the team in the Champions League semi-final for the first time for 34 years, it’s an exciting time to be a Roma fan. We shall be proud to wear the Qatar Airways name on our shirts and we look forward to working together to achieve sporting and commercial success for many years to come.”
The agreement also further strengthens Qatar Airways’ commitment to Italy. The airline currently flies twice a day to Rome and Milan, as well as daily to Venice and Pisa. Qatar Airways last year announced the acquisition of 49 per cent of AQA Holding, the new parent company of Air Italy. Meridiana, Italy’s long established privately owned airline, entered into an exciting new phase of growth and development with its new identity as Air Italy last year.
Additionally, the airline earlier this month celebrated its partnership with the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Rome, where the airline was represented as the Official Airline Partner of the 2018 CBMM Niobium Rome E-Prix presented by Mercedes EQ.
Last month, Qatar Airways signed a five-year partnership agreement with leading German football team FC Bayern München AG, by which the award-winning airline will become an FC Bayern München platinum partner until June 2023, further highlighting Qatar’s role as a global leader in sports.
Qatar Airways believes in the power of sport in bringing people together, and sponsors many top-level sporting events around the world, including leading German football team Bayern München AG as well as the Formula E electric street racing series. Qatar Airways is also the Official Airline Partner of FIFA, which includes 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, the FIFA Club World Cup™, the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.
Qatar Airways proudly flies one of the youngest fleets in the sky, featuring the world’s most technologically-advanced and environmentally friendly aircraft. The airline operates a fleet of more than 200 modern aircraft to a network of more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.
The airline is continuing its ambitious expansion plans, and will launch a host of exciting new destinations this year, including Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Bodrum and Antalya, Turkey; Mykonos, Greece and Málaga, Spain.
As well as being voted Skytrax ‘Airline of the Year’ in 2017 by travellers from around the world, Qatar’s national flag carrier also won a raft of other major awards at last year’s ceremony, including ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge’.
About AS Roma
Founded in 1927, AS Roma is one of the biggest and most well-known football clubs in the world. The team shares the name, colours and legendary symbol of the Eternal City and competes in the Italian Serie A.
AS Roma has won the Italian title three times, the Coppa Italia on nine occasions and boasts the third-highest number of World Cup winners of any club in the world. In 2014, AS Roma became the first club in Italy to create its own Hall of Fame. In 2011, the club was bought by a group of US investors led by Jim Pallotta, who in August 2012 became the 24th club president in the history of AS Roma.
The club currently plays its home matches at the 70,000-capacity Stadio Olimpico but has recently had plans approved to build a new stadium and entertainment district in the Tor di Valle area, strategically located between Rome airport and the city centre. The new stadium is due to be completed in 2021.
