Qatar Airways said on Sunday it was responding to a rise in passenger demand with an increase in the frequency of weekly flights to 10 of its most popular destinations. The airline, which currently flies to 146 destinations around the globe, will implement the frequency increases over the next few months for a mix of business and leisure destinations, it said in a statement.

Starting May 16, the airline will permanently increase weekly frequencies to seven destinations - Ta'if, Saudi Arabia; Basra, Iraq; Najaf, Iraq; Gassim, Saudi Arabia; Ankara, Turkey; Zagreb, Croatia and Athens, Greece.

The carrier also said it will increase the weekly frequency of flights to an additional three destinations during the peak summer period, to meet the increase in demand over the holiday season - Alexandria, Egypt; Salalah, Oman and Larnaca, Cyprus. These additional flights will be seasonal only and the routes will revert back to their regular schedules from Sept. 15, Oct. 4 and Oct. 24 respectively. The permanent frequency increases will see Ta'if, Zagreb and Ankara begin daily flight services commencing May 16, July 1 and July 3 respectively.

Meanwhile, the service to two Iraqi destinations will double from four to eight flights per week with Basra beginning on May 16 and Najaf on June 2, while 10 flights per week will be offered to Gassim as of July 17.

The most significant increase in frequency is the launch of an additional daily service on June 1 to Athens, bringing the number of weekly flights to the popular holiday destination up from 14 to 21 per week.

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker said, "Our most current frequency increases in the Middle East and Europe will provide our passengers with more flexibility and choice when it comes to planning their travel for both themselves and their families."