Posted: March 24, 2013 By: Admin

Qatar Airways has announced plans to launch scheduled flights to two more destinations in Iraq from this summer. The addition of the port city of Basra in southern Iraq and Sulaymaniyah in the northern part of the country will take to five the number of destinations served by the airline across Iraq.
 
Flights to Basra are due to begin on June 3 with Sulaymaniyah starting on August 20.
 
Both destinations will be served four-times-a-week nonstop from Doha. Qatar Airways began operations to Iraq last summer with flights to Baghdad and Erbil, followed in January this year by new services to Najaf.
 
The airline currently operates 12 flights a week across the three Iraqi cities. The new capacity will take frequency up to 20 weekly services across Iraq.
 
Fuelled by the reconstruction drive in the country and demand for more air services to Iraq, Qatar Airways is expanding its operations in Iraq -  in line with its strategy to enter underserved markets.
 
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al-Baker said: "With today's announcement of flights starting to the cities of Basra and Sulaymaniyah this summer, Qatar Airways is offering new travel options to the people of Iraq and for those involved in the reconstruction efforts of the country. "
 
The convenient timings of the Doha - Basra and Sulaymaniyah flights will provide passengers with good connections to key destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific.
 
Both routes will be operated with an Airbus A320 featuring 144 seats in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy.
 
Over the next few weeks and months, Qatar Airways will launch scheduled flights to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Chicago, US (April 10); Salalah, Oman (May 22); Chengdu, China, at a date to be confirmed, and many more start-ups to be announced.

Source: Arabnews