Qatar Airways announced Friday here it would start flights between southern China's Guangzhou city and Doha beginning from March 31 to further cement its position in one of the world's fastest growing economies.

This made Doha-based Qatar Airways the first airline in the Gulf area to provide flights linking Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province, with a population of nearly 10 million.

It will operate four non-stop flights to Guangzhou per week using Airbus A330s, said the company.

Qatar Airways now has flights to China's Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

"Since we entered the China market four years ago, we have gradually introduced new routes and increased capacity into this exciting country," said Akbar Al Baker, CEO of the company.

"China is, and will continue to be, a strategically vital part of Qatar Airways' expansion plans and no serious airline can afford to ignore a country with such a thriving and buoyant economy," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2008)