Qatar Airways will launch flights to Zanzibar, the airline’s third gateway in Tanzania after Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro.

From July 1st, the new five-times-a-week flight to Zanzibar will operate via Kilimanjaro.

The current Kilimanjaro flights which today are served by Qatar Airways via Dar es Salaam will be made non-stop from Doha to Kilimanjaro, with return flights from Kilimanjaro to Doha served via Zanzibar.

The new destination Zanzibar and the launch of direct flights to Kilimanjaro will add even more options for passengers when travelling to any of the more than 140 destinations served by Qatar Airways.

Similarly, passengers from the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe can now take advantage of connections to these Tanzanian cities via Doha’s hub, Hamad International Airport.

The mystic spice island of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean will take the total number of destinations in the airline’s African network to 20 cities.

The new destination makes a perfect island holiday spot for leisure travellers with its white sandy beaches, abundant wild life, rich culture and long history.

“Today’s announcement of new services to Zanzibar reflects our commitment to connect diverse cities via our Doha hub and offer our passengers an extensive range of exciting global destinations.

“As our 20th gateway in Africa, Zanzibar will strengthen our presence as one of the biggest airlines flying to the African continent,” said Qatar Airways chief executive, Akbar Al Baker.

Qatar Airways’ African expansion in the past weeks has included the announcement of a new destination Durban and increase in flights to Johannesburg which will launch on December 17th 2015, and also an increase in frequency to Cape Town from October 1st this year.

Qatar Airways has been operating in Tanzania ever since the airline launched flights to Dar es Salaam in 2007.

The Tanzanian operation was expanded in 2012 when the airline launched flights to Kilimanjaro.