Qatar Airways plans to increase its Doha-Sofia flights and launch new destinations in the Balkan country, it was announced Thursday.

The carrier's Sofia regular flights are initially to be carried out four times weekly, via Bucharest, but Akbar al-Bakar, Qatar Airways CEO, has assured that the company will expand its presence in Bulgaria.

On Wednesday, Qatar Airways' first Doha-Sofia flight was carried out. The airline carrier's flight QR943 was welcomed by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and a myriad of high-ranked officials at an impressive ceremony at Sofia International Airport.

The Doha-Sofia flight line will be a success, as some 200 Bulgarians currently live in Qatar, al-Bakar has pointed out, adding that Qatari tourists will also be interested in the service.

Initially, Qatar Airlways will not fly from Sofia to other European destinations, the company's CEO has said.

"The European airline carriers are very afraid of us," he said, as cited by the Bulgarian Dnevnik daily. According to him, they lobby with their respective governments in order not to allow the Qatari carrier on their markets.

Qatar's national carrier announced its plans for regular flights to Sofia airport a few months ago, saying the move is part of the company's expansion in Europe.

The flights will give customers the opportunity to transfer to more than 100 destinations worldwide, in particular the Middle East and the Asia Pacific.

The lowest price for a one way ticket from mid-September stands at EUR 608, shows the company's website. The company offers discounts for return tickets from Sofia to Singapore, Beijing, Maldives, Seychelles, Dubai, Shanghai, Delhi and others.

By the end of the year QA will open routes to Entebbe, Uganda (November 2), Baku, Azerbaijan (30 November), Tbilisi, Georgia (November 30). Last week the airline announced that it has signed an agreement to increase its presence in China.

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