Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker has said the carrier will look to increase its presence in Canada after launching flights to its second city Montreal.
He said the airline's entry into the Canadian market was a significant step in its expansion strategy, adding that he hoped it would be the start "of more things to come in Canada".
Montreal is the eighth new route launched by the newly crown Skytrax Airline of the Year - with a further seven destinations set to be launched by November.
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Speaking at a press conference in Montreal, Al Baker said: "By entering Canada, Qatar Airways is giving the travelling public more choice and more options they fully deserve.
"But with only three flights a week to Montreal, we are constrained by the limited capacity.
"Qatar Airways would look to expand its presence in Canada with additional capacity in response to a growing passenger base here, who travel to many destinations we serve across the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.
"This will not only benefit the travelling public, but also serve as a huge job creation opportunity and boost local economies."
The Doha - Montreal route is operated by the airline's long-haul flagship aircraft, the Boeing 777, featuring 42 seats in Business Class and 217 in Economy.
Montreal becomes the airline's fourth destination in North America. It also operates daily flights to New York, Washington and Houston direct from Doha.
In May, Al Baker said Qatar Airways would press for daily flights to four cities in Canada in a bid to muscle in on national carrier Air Canada’s long-haul market.
“I think [Canada] is currently underserved, a lot of passengers are going through the USA because there are not enough airlines [offering] international flights out of Canada unless you want to go by Air Canada,” he told Arabian Business.
“We already have rights to fly to four cities in Canada but with only three frequencies a week so quite normally we would like at least a daily frequency to all of these four destinations.”
Rival Gulf carriers Eithad and Emirates were denied fresh landing slots in November by Canada’s transport agency, sparking a widespread diplomatic row between the two countries.
The Gulf state retaliated with the closure of Camp Mirage, a secret military base located outside Dubai and used to supply Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
In December, the UAE Embassy announced Canadian citizens would no longer receive free visas. Instead, tourists must now pay up to $1,000 Canadian dollars to enter the country.
Over the next few months, Qatar Airways will launch flights to Madinah, Saudi Arabia on July 14; Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, India on July 27; Sofia, Bulgaria on September 14; Oslo, Norway on October 5; Entebbe, Uganda on November 2; Baku, Azerbaijan and Tbilisi, Georgia on November 30.
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