Qatar Airways flies twice-daily to and from Beirut

"These services have convenient timings offering quick connections to other destinations in the Gulf, the Indian Subcontinent and the Far East," said Mr. Mohamed Saleh Fakhri, Qatar Airways Commercial General Manager.

The launch of the increased flights was celebrated during a gala dinner reception at Beirut's famed Phoenicia Hotel.

Qatar Airways Regional Manager Levant, Mr Hilal Al Mohannadi, stated: "The additional daily flight QR 428 takes off from Doha International Airport at 9pm arriving Beirut at 12.05 am, while flight QR 429 takes off from Beirut at 9am arriving at Doha at 11.50 am.

Qatar Airways is the only Middle Eastern airline which provides passengers with seats that can convert into a full bed with sidebars - providing maximum comfort and the highest level of privacy on its Airbus A330 First Class. Each seat has a video facility that offers the latest in entertainment, as well as phone and fax services.

Building on a reputation of premium customer service, Qatar Airways has launched an aggressive growth plan to ensure that it can offer customers a greater choice of destinations, more flights, and the latest in-flight products and services.

The Qatari flag carrier recently launched new flights to Manchester and Rome. The Italian capital became its 41st destination. It will begin flights to Moscow in August.

Qatar Airways is also increasing its fleet. The airline has just announced a US$ 5.1 billion contract to purchase 34 additional Airbus aircraft in a deal that will increase the fleet to 56 by 2008. It presently operates a fleet of 24 Airbus aircraft.

The Qatari national carrier is also one of the launch customers for Airbus A380 'Super Jumbo' in 2007.

Qatar Airways operates a number of subsidiary companies including: Qatar Aviation Services, Qatar Aviation Catering Company, Qatar Airways Holidays, Doha International Airport, and Qatar Duty Free.