QATAR Airways yesterday began flights to Chennai and Bali. Chennai is the airline’s sixth Indian destination. It already flies to Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad.

Qatar Airways also becomes the first Middle Eastern carrier to serve the tropical island of Bali. It is the national carrier’s second destination in Indonesia. It already flies to the country’s capital Jakarta.

On the Chennai route, Qatar Airways will operate daily flights using an Airbus A321 with 12 seats in business class and 132 in economy.

There will be four weekly flights to Bali and the airline will use an Airbus A300-600 aircraft with up to 30 seats in business class and 234 in economy.

“Passenger demand for both routes is expected to be significant,” Qatar Airways chief executive officer, Akbar al-Baker said yesterday.

“Chennai is the third largest commercial centre in India and becomes our first service to the country’s east coast. And while Bali has always been a popular tourist destination, it is also growing in significance as a place to do business.”

The inaugural flights represent a major drive by Qatar Airways to introduce numerous new destinations to its expanding network. In addition to Bali and Chennai, Qatar Airways is also launching flights to five further destinations across Asia, Europe and North America this year. Qatar Airways currently flies to 74 destinations worldwide with a fleet of 56 all-Airbus aircraft.

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