Qatar Airways will add five more flights per week on its Bahrain   Doha route, beginning June 1.

The new early evening departures from Bahrain will offer excellent connections via Qatar Airways' operational hub of Doha to a host of cities in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Far East, Indian subcontinent and North America, said Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker.

Addressing a Press conference on the sidelines of the Bahrain International Travel Exhibition (BITE 2008) today, he said the new flights will boost the number of flights on the route to 47 from 42.

Qatar Airways is the Gold Sponsor of the four day BITE, being held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre.

Speaking on the airline’s strategy, he said though Qatar Airways will add new destinations, its focus this year will be on expanding frequency rather than network.

'Our vision at Qatar Airways is simple   to invest in, and maintain, a growing fleet of young and modern aircraft flying to key business and leisure destinations worldwide,' said Al Baker.

'Our long range Boeing 777s will open up tremendous new opportunities for us from the end of 2008 with the aircraft capable of flying to all corners of the globe non stop and provide our customers with a unique flying experience and ultimate levels of comfort.'

Qatar Airways has a fleet of 63 aircraft at the moment and it has on order 200 planes worth about $30 billion, he said. By 2013, the airline will have 110 aircraft in its fleet, revealed Al Baker.

On new destination, he said Qatar Airways will start flights to the Indian city of Kozhikode (Calicut) on June 15. This will be its ninth destination in India. The airline will fly to the US oil hub of Houston from November 10.

“The airline is the only one in the region to provide direct TV transmission,” he said and added that soon it will introduce high-speed internet and text messaging services.

However, he ruled out introduction of mobile phone service aboard Qatar Airways. “We do not want our passengers to be disturbed by mobile calls,” said Al Baker.

He said Qatar Airways, at the moment, is not interested in starting a low-cost airline. “However, if the low-cost carriers start undermining our business, we are prepared to launch such a carrier ourselves.

“We have the capability to launch a high quality low-cost product in just three months and we will go against the competition in their own markets,” he said.

Al Baker said the airline has been achieving 35 per cent growth year on year during the last few years and will continue to do so for the next few years as it expands capacity and network.

He said the airline will not make profit until 2012 because it is investing in growth. Once the airline makes profit for three years continuously, it will offer 49 per cent of its stake in an IPO (Initial Public Offering), he said.

Speaking on the rising fuel costs, he said the airline will have to pass the additional burden to passengers.

Qatar Airways is showcasing at the BITE its award winning long haul Business Class seat and also promoting its three new routes for 2008 -- Guangzhou in southern China (launched in March), Kozhikode and Houston. – TradeArabia News Service