Qatar Airways to launch scheduled flights to Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city

Operating four-times-a-week non-stop from Doha, the newest route will take the number of destination launches by the airline to 15 during 2011.

As part of the airline’s aggressive route expansion strategy to fly to diverse cities, Benghazi is yet another destination which is underserved and will benefit from new international flights.

Benghazi, Libya’s north eastern Mediterranean port city and major economic centre, is a key destination for trade and exports.

Many industries including oil refining, food processing, cement production and tuna fishing, reside in the surrounding region of Cyrenaica, of which Benghazi is the capital.

Qatar Airways has a well established presence in Libya, having initially operated services to the capital Tripoli eight years ago. Flights to Tripoli are currently suspended due to the political situation, but are expected to resume soon.

Qatar Airways will operate the route with an Airbus A320 dual configuration aircraft, offering 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy.