Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the country, has launched flights to its fifth destination in Iraq, Sulaymaniyah, increasing the airline's frequency across the country from 16 to 20 flights each week.

The new services, which will operate four-times-a-week non-stop from the airline's Doha hub, brings the carrier's global network to 129 destinations worldwide, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The Doha-Sulaymaniyah route is being operated by a state-of-the-art Airbus A320.

The launch marks the rapid expansion by Qatar Airways in Iraq since the middle of 2012 when it began flights to Erbil, followed by the capital Baghdad, Najaf and Basra.

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker said he was delighted to see additional flights open up another entry point to Iraq.

"Iraq has been on our list of expansion priorities for some time and the last 12 months have seen us move forward very quickly, opening up four new gateways in Iraq with a fifth in Sulaymaniyah," he said.

"Qatar Airways' commitment is strong as we continue to build on our already strong relationship between Qatar and Iraq," Al Baker said.

"Opening up Iraq to the world with more travel options and flexibility has always been part of our general strategy to enter underserved markets and give the travelling public to and from such places the ability to travel with greater choice, bringing the world closer to them," he added. – TradeArabia News Service