Pilot in stable condition after plane crash off Miami Beach

The U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities are responding to the report of a Cessna aircraft that crashed, Saturday, approximately 200 yards from Miami Beach, Fla.

The Coast Guard received a call from the Miami Beach Police Department at approximately 2:30 p.m. EDT, Saturday, reporting a down aircraft with one person aboard approximately 200 yards from 45th Street and Collins Ave in Miami Beach.

Responding assets are:

• Coast Guard Station 45-foot Response boat - Medium.
• Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew.
• Miami Beach Police Department.
• City of Miami Beach Ocean Rescue.

The pilot of the aircraft was rescued by Ocean Rescue crewmembers and transported to awaiting emergency medical services in stable condition.

The plane, a Cessna 305A (tail number N212KY), has been reported as fully submerged and Coast Guard crews are continuing to work all response efforts and mitigation of pollution.

Qatar Airways CEO meets Miami mayor for high-level investment meeting

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and senior officials held a high-level meeting Wednesday with Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker to discuss new trade, business and investment opportunities in Miami.

Qatar Airways began weekly service to Miami International Airport on Tuesday from the newly opened Hamad International Airport, in Doha.

The airline's CEO was on-board the maiden flight and led a high level delegation, including the Director of Miami Airport, Emilio Gonzalez; the Vice Chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, senior officials from the airline and also a group of international media traveling on the first flight.

During the courtesy visit, Al Baker said that “the airline planned to bring new opportunities to Miami by investing in the community and helping boost trade, tourism and business links between the State of Qatar and Miami.

"Qatar Airways is looking forward to how this new route will enhance our excellent offering to passengers, providing even greater flexibility in the number of U.S. gateways to choose from, since we now fly out of six major hubs in the country.

"Miami has always been a global city; a crossroads of commerce, art and culture. Mayor Gimenez has been a great ally in our efforts to bring Qatar Airways to Miami and we are proud to offer an additional boost to the local economy, by contributing to the generation of an estimated 536 new jobs and create an economic impact of over $78 million revenue for the first year alone."

"Qatar Airways' decision to include Miami among its handful of U.S. destinations confirms that Miami-Dade County is a global center for business and tourism travel, and MIA is one of the premier airports in the world,” said Gimenez. "Miami-Dade looks forward to strengthening the economic and cultural ties to Qatar and beyond."

Miami International Airport is responsible for over 20 million international passengers each year. Qatar Airways will fly four round-trip routes each week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) between Doha and Miami.

"Qatar Airways looks forward to building a strong relationship between Miami and Doha," added Al Baker. "These two great cities have so much to share and learn from one another. We can now look forward to introducing many more U.S. travellers to Doha and developing a strong conduit for trade and commerce."

Qatar Airways connects Miami with Middle East non-stop

Qatar Airways' maiden voyage to Miami International Airport (MIA) touched down on Tuesday, commencing service to the airline's sixth U.S. gateway. The service marked its 142^nd destination worldwide from the central hub in Doha, Qatar.

With this new route, Qatar Airways is the only airline to offer non-stop service between the Middle East and Miami.

Tuesday's launch continues a major expansion by the airline into the United States. Non-stop service to Philadelphia International Airport began in April, and the airline will commence flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in July.

The airline's CEO was onboard the maiden flight and led a high level delegation, including the Director of MIA, Emilio Gonzalez; the vice chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, senior officials from the airline and also a group of international media traveling on the first flight.

With Doha's centralized location, travelers from Miami can reach cities such as Bangkok, Nairobi, Colombo, and Mumbai in an impressive 23 hours or less through a quick transfer in Doha.

The airline recently moved its entire operations to the State of Qatar's new airport Hamad International.

From one major hub to another, Miami International Airport is one of the largest in the United States, handling over 40.5 million passengers in 2013. It is the country's second busiest airport for international travel and the busiest for international freight.

The new Qatar Airways route is expected to generate 536 new jobs and $78.3 million in additional revenue for Miami and the surrounding community. The route is being operated with a Boeing 777-200 in a two-class configuration of 42 seats in Business and 217 seats in Economy.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operations and is currently flying a modern fleet of 134 aircraft to more than 140 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

Miami joins the airline's existing Americas destinations: Chicago, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Montreal, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. Qatar Airways is set to launch services to a diverse portfolio of new routes during the coming months, including Tokyo Haneda, Japan (June 18), Dallas/Fort Worth, USA (July 1) and Djibouti (July 27).