Qatar Airways increases flights to India

DUBAI, Dec 24 (Reuters) State-owned Qatar Airways said it had won the right to increase flights to India to 49 a week from 30 to tap rising travel demand between the world's second-most populous nation and Gulf Arab countries.

Qatar Airways will add the southern city of Chennai and the western city of Ahmedabad to its network of five Indian destinations from April, it said in a statement received late on Saturday.

With immediate effect, the airline will double the number of seats available each week to Mumbai and Trivandrum by using bigger aircraft, it said. It will also add flights to the cities of Cochin and Hyderabad.

''India is one of our key markets, sustainable due to the high demand for our popular services to five important cities,'' Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in the statement.

Gulf Arab sheikhdoms such as Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are using increased oil revenue to start or expand their carriers to take advantage of demand for travel between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

About a quarter of the combined 35-million population of six Gulf Arab oil producers, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are foreigners, with Indians and Pakistanis making up the largest single group.

Qatar Airways competes with Dubai government-owned Emirates [EMAIR.UL] and Abu Dhabi-owned Etihad Airways.

''The Indian government has demonstrated that it is keen and willing to open up its market to more competition,'' Baker said.

Qatar Airways plans to more than double its fleet to 110 planes during the next decade.

REUTERS SBA HT1702