Qatar Airways is preparing for huge capacity increases to Germany next month with additional flights to Frankfurt and Munich, together with the introduction of services to Stuttgart – its fourth German gateway.

With two new weekly flights to Frankfurt, four additional services to Munich and the introduction of thrice-weekly flights to Stuttgart, the airline’s German frequency rises from 24 to 33 flights a week. All the flights are non-stop to and from Doha, Qatar Airways’ operational hub. Services to Germany’s capital city Berlin remain at daily.

The additional capacity will vastly improve connectivity for Qatar Airways’ passengers travelling to and from Germany via Doha.

It is the latest chapter in Qatar Airways’ expansion in Europe, the focus of the airline’s growth during the first three months of 2011. In January alone, Qatar Airways began services to Bucharest, Budapest and Brussels to boost its European presence to 24 cities.

The introduction of flights to the German car manufacturing city of Stuttgart from March 6 signals the first wave of expansion taking place in the country over a three-week period. 

Stuttgart, the Capital of the State of Baden-Württemberg, is known as the cradle of the automotive industry and is the economic powerhouse of Germany – home to many international companies such as Porsche, Daimler AG and Bosch. The route will be operated in a two-class 110-seat Airbus A319, with eight seats in Business and 102 in Economy.

With the capacity increase on the Frankfurt route, up from 10 flights a week, effective March 27, selected services will be operated using the airline’s flagship Boeing 777 long-haul aircraft. The aircraft features 42 Business Class seats with a pitch of 78 inches and convert to lie-flat 180 degree beds.

The existing daily Doha – Munich route will continue to be operated with an Airbus A330. The increased capacity to 11 weekly flights each week, takes effect from March 9.

The Doha – Berlin route remains a daily operation and continues to be operated with an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “This is by far our largest frequency increase being introduced in the German market within a short time frame.

“It demonstrates our commitment to Germany, with an expansion of frequency and routes to give the travelling public greater choice and more travel options across our ever-growing network of global destinations via our Doha hub.

“By adding these extra flights, we are responding to strong demand for additional capacity on the Munich and Frankfurt routes. The strengthened services will foster new business and tourism links with the largest economy in the European Union.

Passengers from the Middle East, Asia Pacific, South Asia and Africa will have greater travel options to Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart and Berlin with the quick and seamless connections. Qatar Airways’ network of connecting destinations is far and wide, including Muscat, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Mumbai, Delhi, Goa, Beijing, Phuket, Singapore, Tokyo, Melbourne and Bangkok.

Al Baker added that the Boeing 777 is gradually being rolled out on European routes – Madrid and selected flights to London Heathrow and, soon, Frankfurt to offer increased levels of comfort.

“Our Boeing 777 distinguishes itself by its spacious cabin interior and its superior on-board entertainment. We are delighted that our passengers travelling between Frankfurt and Doha now have the opportunity to experience our award-winning Five Star service on board this state-of-the-art aircraft,” he said.

The Boeing 777 features up to 293 Economy Class seats in a 3–3–3 configuration and up to 34-inch seat pitch. All seats in Business and Economy provide personal touch screen, seat back TV screens offering more than 900 interactive audio and video entertainment options.

Qatar Airways operates a modern fleet of 94 aircraft to 98 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America. The Syrian city of Aleppo becomes the carrier’s 100th destination, being launched on April 6. On June 5, Qatar Airways will commence flights from Doha to the Iranian city of Shiraz, followed by daily flights from its hub to Venice on June 15, the airline’s third destination in Italy.

By 2013, Qatar Airways plans to serve over 120 key business and leisure destinations worldwide with a modern fleet of more than 120 aircraft.