Doha, QATAR - The latest moves in Qatar Airways' huge expansion across Asia and the Indian sub-continent took off yesterday with flights from its base in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, to Chennai (formerly known as Madras) and the tropical island of Bali.

Qatar Airways already serves five cities across India - Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Trivandrum and Hyderabad - and the Indonesian capital Jakarta, so the new destinations will strengthen the airline's operations in both countries.

Passenger demand for both routes is expected to be significant, according to Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker.

"Chennai is the third largest commercial centre in India and becomes our first service to the country's east coast. And while Bali has always been a popular tourist destination, it is also growing in significance as a place to do business," he said.

"Qatar Airways is committed to spreading our award-winning Five Star service to key business and leisure destinations worldwide and the latest moves reflect the importance we place on expanding our operations in countries we already serve."

On the Chennai route, Qatar Airways operates daily flights using an Airbus A321 with a 12 Business Class and 165 Economy Class seat configuration.

With the launch of the new Indonesian service, Qatar Airways becomes the first Middle East carrier to serve the tropical island of Bali. Flights operate four times a week using an Airbus A300-600 aircraft with up to 30 seats in Business Class and 234 in Economy Class.

The inaugural flights represent a major drive by Qatar Airways to introduce numerous new destinations to its expanding network. In addition to Bali and Chennai, Qatar Airways is also launching flights to five further destinations across Asia, Europe and North America in 2007 alone.

Qatar Airways currently flies to 74 destinations worldwide with a modern fleet of 56 all-Airbus aircraft.

The full list of new routes for 2007 is:-

Chennai	DAILY from March 24
Bali	4 flights a week from March 24
Ho Chi Minh City	4 flights a week from March 25
Geneva	4 flights a week from June 28
New York	4 flights a week from June 28
Washington	DAILY from Summer 2007
Stockholm	4 flights a week from November 2007

The new schedules for the Bali and Chennai flights are:-

The Doha - Denpasar (Bali) schedules, effective 24 March 2007 are:

Depart Doha International Airport
Tuesday                   QR624 at 2320, arrive Denpasar at 1605 following day
Wednesday             QR624 at 2320, arrive Denpasar at 1605 following day
Saturday                   QR624 at 2320, arrive Denpasar at 1605 following day
Sunday                     QR624 at 2320, arrive Denpasar at 1605 following day

Depart Denpasar International Airport
Monday                    QR625 at 0335, arrive Doha International Airport at 1005
Tuesday                  QR625 at 0005, arrive Doha International Airport at 0630
Thursday                 QR625 at 0005, arrive Doha International Airport at 0630
Friday                       QR625 at 0005, arrive Doha International Airport at 0630

The Doha - Chennai schedules, effective 24 March 2007 are:

Depart Doha International Airport
DAILY                      QR276 at 2045, arrive Chennai at 0345 following day

Depart Chennai International Airport
DAILY                     QR277 at 0445, arrive Doha at 0645