Satheesa Babu, an aircraft technician who works with the Qatar Emiri Air Force, bought his 'lucky ticket' before boarding his flight from Doha to Thiruvananthapuram in April.

QDF is a subsidiary of Qatar Airways. The US Dollar Millionaire raffle was launched in May 2006 giving passengers an opportunity to win the bumper prize.

The 50-year-old father of two from Kerala has been a resident of Doha, Qatar for 15 years. He said that buying a ticket to win USD 1 million draw had become a habit for him for the last four years whenever he travelled back home for his annual vacation. "I am delighted to have finally won and can call myself a lucky person. My win makes me feel more secure as I can plan my family's future and invest in my children's education," he said.

Departing and transiting passengers at Doha International Airport are able to purchase raffle tickets for USD 263 or QAR 950 each.

Congratulating the winner, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: "I offer my personal congratulations to Mr Babu on being the lucky winner of the latest draw. The Qatar Duty Free Millionaire draw is a very popular promotion and has always been an exciting attraction for duty free shoppers at Doha International airport whether transiting through the airport or departing from Qatar."