Al-Baker said: “Qatar Airways has progressively developed our operations in China over the years, connecting even more passengers through our seven gateways in China to the Middle East and onwards on our network of more than 135 destinations around the world.

“Chengdu offers significant cultural and economic opportunities to passengers on our five-star network and we are delighted with how popular this recently launched route has become. I am also delighted to have had the opportunity to recently meet with the Mayor Honglin and look forward to exploring further how we can develop our ties and connectivity to this city and others in China.”

Qatar Airways launched two routes in the second half of 2013 to Chengdu and Hangzhou, flying directly from its hub in Doha and now flies to a total of seven gateways across the country to meet the strong and growing demand from passengers in the region.

The airline, which has provided its signature five-star service to the China market for 10 years, commenced its first flight to China in 2003. With the additions of Chengdu and Hangzhou to its route network in 2013, Qatar Airways increased its capacity across the country from 38 to 45 non-stop flights every week.

As the Middle-Eastern carrier with the largest route network across China, Qatar Airways said it is proud to serve the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Hong Kong.

This network is also likely to grow further thanks to the airline’s expansion plans and its move this month to its new world-class hub, Hamad International Airport.