Qatar Airways has announced plans to launch scheduled flights to Libya’s second largest city of Benghazi on November 1st.

Operating four-times-a-week non-stop from Doha, the newest route will take the number of destination launches by the airline to 15 during 2011.

As part of the airline’s aggressive route expansion strategy to fly to diverse cities, Benghazi is yet another destination which is underserved and will benefit from new international flights.

Benghazi, Libya’s north eastern Mediterranean port city and major economic centre, is a key destination for trade and exports.

Many industries including oil refining, food processing, cement production and tuna fishing, reside in the surrounding region of Cyrenaica, of which Benghazi is the capital.

Qatar Airways has a well-established presence in Libya, having initially operated services to the capital Tripoli eight years ago.

Flights to Tripoli are currently suspended due to the political situation, but are expected to resume soon.

Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker welcomed the latest addition to the growing family of new routes introduced this year.

“Qatar Airways continues to strive to provide a network to cater for all travel segments, conveniently connecting through our Doha hub,” he said.

“Almost a year ago in Nice, I spoke about the possibility of expanding our Libyan operations, and I am delighted that we are now, within this short of a period, set to start flights to Benghazi, another key city in the country.

“We identified Benghazi as an underserved, primarily business destination, and now have the opportunity to bring this city into our fold.”

Qatar Airways will operate the route with an Airbus A320 dual configuration aircraft, offering 12 seats in First Class and 132 in Economy.