Qatar Airways said on Monday it will add 31 weekly flights to Iran, more than doubling frequencies, as the second-biggest Arab carrier taps demand that the Islamic republic’s own operators are struggling to meet because of Western sanctions, Bloomberg reports.
State-owned Qatar Air will increase services to 52 a week in a four-month ramp up starting December 1 while adding a fourth destination, Isfahan, to the network, it said in a statement.
The Gulf company may also offer domestic services under a code-sharing agreement with Iranian carriers.
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“We have been working with the authorities in Iran for increased capacity across the country,” CEO Akbar Al Baker said in the statement.
The new services will aim to meet the travel demands of the Iranian expatriate community via Qatar Air’s international network based on Doha, he said.
Iran’s own ability to add and upgrade planes has been stymied by United Nations sanctions imposed over its nuclear program that block purchases from Boeing and Airbus.
Qatar Airways already has orders for more than 200 jets worth in excess of $40bn and will announce a further contract at the Dubai air show next month, Al Baker said October 6 in Oslo.
Qatar Air began serving Iran in 2004 with flights to Tehran, followed by Mashhad and then Shiraz. New services will be operated by Airbus A320 jets with business and economy seats.
A further accord has been struck allowing Qatar to operate domestic trips, according to the state-run Iranian Students News Agency, which cited comments from Shahriar Afandizadeh, the country’s deputy minister for roads and urban development.
Under the deal, Qatar Air would operate code-share flights with Iranian operators in order to comply with laws excluding foreign companies from domestic routes, Iran Air CEO Farhad Parvaresh told the news agency.
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Nov 16, 2011 , Iran
What a sad day for the Iranian nation. When the state run Iran Air lines was celeberating its 30th year in service, not forgetting that they were the first airline in the world to recieve the 747-SP from boeing, Qatar and the UAE were still looking to organise a bus service through their main cap...