The Qatar-based state-owned flag carrier, Qatar Airways, is set for a major expansion drive in South Africa, it said at the weekend.

It will start flights to Durban, increase its weekly flights to Johannesburg and introduce daily services to Cape Town.
The Doha-based carrier will start four new weekly flights to Durban via Johannesburg.

The carrier will continue to increase the number of flights to Johannesburg from 10 weekly flights to a double daily service by December 17.

Qatar Airways said it will also start operating daily flights to Cape Town before the hectic 2015/16 winter travel season from October 1 this year.

“Durban will be Qatar Airways’ third route to South Africa following Johannesburg and Cape Town, both of which started in January 2005. All three routes will be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner,” Al Ahram Online quoted Qatar Airways as having said.

Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways CEO, said Durban was a critical entry into South Africa. “We are very confident that this route will be warmly welcomed like all our other routes in the African continent,” he told Al Ahram Online.

Africa is critical to Qatar Airways’ global network expansion strategy and the airline currently operates 140 flights per week to 19 African countries.