Qatar Airways has signed an interline partnership with Vietnam-based Vietjet Air, an agreement which will allow the Qatari carrier’s passengers to travel to and from points in Vietnam using a single reservation across both airlines’ networks.

Qatar Airways has strengthened its commitment to Italy with the acquisition of a 49 per cent of AQA Holding, the new parent company of Meridiana fly (Meridiana). Qatar Airways currently flies from Doha to Rome, Venice, Pisa and Milan a total of 42 times per week and this partnership will further strengthen the airline’s ties to Italy, while promoting job creation within the country, and from where it connects passengers to more than 150 destinations around the world.

Qatar Airways will add four additional weekly flights to Sohar, its newest destination in the Sultanate of Oman, from October 1st. The additional frequency was added in response to increased passenger demand, and will take the number of weekly flights between Doha and the Sultanate of Oman from 52 to 56.

Qatar Airways has responded to increased customer demand for service to Turkey by launching direct flights to the southern city of Adana, the airline’s fourth route to the country.

Qatar Airways chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, has been elected chairman of the board of governors of global aviation industry body International Air Transport Association. He will take up the role in June next year.

Qatar Airways continues to demonstrate strong global growth with the announcement of new flights to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The airline has responded to continued robust demand from passengers by increasing its Colombo service from four to five flights per day from September 1st, just one month after the last frequency increase.