A daily flight service will be available between Seoul and Doha, following Qatar Airways' increase in the number of operations at the end of this month.

The Doha-based carrier recently said that it will increase flights between the two cities starting March 30, offering South Korean passengers more options to a wide range of connecting flights to onward destinations in Europe, Middle East, Africa and North America.

The carrier's strategy for 2008 is to boost frequencies on several existing routes, following increasing demand for Qatar's renowned five-star service.

"The increase in the frequency to Seoul reflects the growing importance Qatar has placed on the Far East region," said Marwan Koleilat, senior manager of commercial operations for Far East and Australasia.

"Economic expansion in many countries across Asia has seen large increases in international air traffic, and Qatar Airways is very aware of opportunities in the region," he said.

For example, the day after going daily on the Doha-Seoul route, the carrier launches its inaugural flight between Doha and Guangzhou in China, he added. Guangzhou will be the fourth point in China the airline flies to, following Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Koleilat also said Qatar is exploring other opportunities to increase the frequency on its existing routes in the region.

"South Korea has a thriving economy and we are delighted to be able to offer the traveling public daily flights from Seoul to Doha, and beyond to over 80 destinations worldwide," the senior manager said.

Qatar launched its first flight from Seoul to Doha in 2003 with three weekly services. For the daily operation, the carrier's state-of-the-art A330 aircraft will be used. The flight will depart Seoul at 9:35 p.m. and arrive in Doha at 5:45 a.m. the following day, with a brief stopover in Osaka, Japan.

Qatar Airways, the national flag carrier of Qatar, is one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world, with an average annual growth of 40 percent in the last 10 years. It is ranked a five-star airline by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency, for its quality, high standards and service excellence.

As of December 2007, the airline was flying to 81 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and America, with its fleet of 60 aircraft. In 2008, the carrier will extend its global network to Guangzhou in China and Houston in the U.S. It also plans to increase its fleet size to 110 aircraft by 2013.

The New Doha International Airport is scheduled to open in 2010 with the capacity to handle 12 million passengers a year, and operate full scale in 2015 for 50 million passengers.