Qatar Airways’ daily flights to Brazil have proved highly successful since entering the South American market with the new services five months ago.

The introduction of the Doha – Sao Paulo route in June expanded the airline’s global network reach to six continents.

Speaking at a press conference in Sao Paulo, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker highlighted the airline’s expansion into Latin America and the strong traffic it has generated from Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.

He said: “The launch of flights to Sao Paulo has provided our passengers with access to a key region for economic trade and tourism. As we grow our operations and economic ties with Brazil, we hope to offer additional frequencies and more destinations in the region. 

“With our 5th freedom traffic rights between Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, we give Latin Americans and tourists from around the world, a further option to include Qatar Airways in their travel plans when flying within the region.

“The Doha – Sao Paulo route provides a key gateway for commercial, sports and leisure traffic, and the daily non-stop service offers a convenient travel link. The route also offers sporting fans from the Middle East and across Asia Pacific with a convenient air link to the next FIFA World Cup being staged in Brazil in 2014.”

From the airline’s hub in Doha, the carrier connects the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), fostering high economic activity and growth of both leisure and business ties.

The total flying time from Doha is 14 hours non-stop to Brazil’s largest city, before continuing onto Buenos Aires. The state-of-the-art Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft deployed on the route is operated in a two-class configuration with 42 seats in Business and 217 in Economy. Entertainment options include 17-inch individual TV screens in Business Class and 10.6-inch in Economy. The in-flight interactive entertainment system offers a choice of more than 900 audio and video on demand options, available in both cabins.

The South American flights offer excellent connections to and from key cities worldwide, across the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, via the airline’s Doha hub. These include Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Beijing, Melbourne, Nairobi, Beirut, Dubai and Muscat.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 93 aircraft to 95 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North and South America.

Over the next four months, the airline’s growth focuses on Europe with the latest destination, Nice in the Côte d’Azur, launched on November 24. A further four destinations being launched are Budapest (January 17), Bucharest (January 17), Brussels (January 31) and Stuttgart (March 6). On April 6, Qatar Airways introduces its 100th destination – the Syrian city of Aleppo.

By 2013, Qatar Airways plans to serve 120 key destinations worldwide with a fleet of 120 aircraft.