Mumbai: Passengers of Qatar Airways from India now have another reason to smile. They will be flying on a brand new A320-200 Airbus acquired by the airline recently.

Qatar Airways, the world''s fastest-growing airline, recently took delivery of its ninth Airbus A320-200. This aircraft will be pressed into service for Qatar Airways flights from Doha to the Indian subcontinent including Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Kochi. Qatar Airways presently operates 19 flights to India.

"Allocation of this aircraft to the Indian sector is a continuing proof of our commitment to provide the world''s best in-flight service, amenities and entertainment to our passengers from India," says Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker. Qatar Airways has also taken delivery of its fourth Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

"The delivery of the two new Airbus aircraft represents our continuing commitment to offer our customers a greater choice of destinations, more flights, and a premium class service," he says. "While other international airlines are cutting back their services, we''re confident we can continue to offer the travelling public a world-class airline service."

Qatar Airways is now operating a fleet of 23 aircraft, where it had just 12 a little more than a year ago. "In the last year we carried 1.7 million passengers. This year our fleet will carry around 2.7 million passengers. This type of growth underscores why Qatar Airways has become one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world. The new A330 will be used principally for our new non-stop flights to Manila, which we''re now operating fives times a week," Al Baker adds.

The two new aircraft are owned by Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways'' fleet now consists of four A330-200s, nine A320-200s, nine A300-600s, and an ACJ319 corporate jetliner. The fleet will number 28 by the end of the year, and also include a long range ACJ319. Qatar Airways is also one of the launch customers of the A380 super jumbo.

Qatar Airways presently flies to 40 destinations, which will increase to around 50 by the end of the year as part of a growth strategy that will allow the airline to offer its customers a greater choice of destinations, more flights and fast connections at its hub in Doha. Qatar Airways also operates a number of subsidiary companies including Qatar Aviation Services, Qatar Aviation Catering Company, Qatar Airways Holidays, Doha International Airport, and Qatar Duty Free.