Qatar Airways to increase Doha-Maputo direct flights

Qatar Airways commences four-times weekly non-stop flights between Doha and Yerevan, the capital of Armenia from May 15.

He said his company, which now operates nine Boeing 777-200LR planes, is planning to launch new “ultra-long haul” flights, including one from Doha to Santiago, Chile.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, launching new destinations around the globe, while also establishing our new home and hub, Hamad International Airport”.

Qatar Airways was due to be the launch customer for the fuel-efficient jet, with Airbus scheduled to deliver the A320neo to the Gulf airline by the end of December.

Boeing 777-LR aircraft, which can carry 259 passengers, will be used for the flight.

The current record for the longest direct passenger flight belongs to Qantas.

At 16 hours and 55 minutes (8,577 miles/13,804 km), the Qantas flight’s duration falls short of Qatar’s proposed Doha-Auckland route (9,034 miles/14,539 km) by more than an hour-and-a-half.

The further expansion by the award-winning airline into eastern Europe adds a further level of choice for passengers traveling from Croatia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan on the airline’s extensive global network. Dubai International airport remained the world’s busiest airport by international traffic for the second consecutive year in 2015. In addition to the A350, Qatar Airways displayed two other aircraft at the show – the A380 super jumbo and a striking Gulfstream G650ER, the latest addition to the Qatar Executive fleet.

A spokesman told MailOnline Travel that the airline can not confirm any details regarding possible new routes.

Middle Eastern and South East Asian airlines were experiencing strong growth and continually looked for new routes, he said.

However, there is no word yet on when the airline is poised to start the service.