Commencement of scheduled daily non-stop flights from Lagos to Doha from March 29 will provide the travelling public with an additional two services per week.
The new daily service will be operated by an Airbus A340-600 aircraft, replacing the current Airbus A330-200.
The state-of-the-art A340-600 features eight First Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, 42 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 layout and 216 economy seats configured 2-4-2. It is the world's longest passenger jet, with an overall fuselage length of 75 metres, making it a full three metres longer than the Airbus A380 superjumbo.
The increase is part of Qatar Airways' ongoing growth strategy, which has been ramped up for 2009 and includes six new route launches, including Melbourne and Sydney in Australia; Goa and Amritsar in India; and two further additions to its extensive European network. Frequency and capacity increases on selected routes are also scheduled.
Additional services from Lagos will provide increased connectivity to a number of key destinations on Qatar Airways' expanding route network, providing travellers to and from Nigeria with greater convenience. The three-class configuration of the A340 aircraft also offers passengers with an enhanced in-flight experience and the highest levels of comfort.
Cargo capacity of the Airbus A340-600 will also offer an additional 40 percent more capacity over the current A330-200 operating the route.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker explained that the airline's expansion in Nigeria was evidence of the continued economic prosperity in this key West African market.
"Lagos is a key market for Qatar Airways. In the two years since we launched the route, it has grown considerably and I'm glad to say that we now offer even better services, increased capacity both for passengers and cargo, as well as improved connectivity to our network of destinations," said Al Baker.