Mumbai, July 11: Qatar Airways plans to introduce daily flights from Mumbai to Doha from the existing four for which a proposal has been submitted to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). No revisions are planned for the three weekly services from Thiruvananthapuram.

"There is good demand in the Indian sector and with increasing business opportunities, the need for more capacity is inevitable between the two countries," said Qatar Airways' regional director (India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) AK Gang. "We particularly expect demand to boom in the business segment," he added. The airline plans to exploit the unused capacity of Gulf Air in the region for which it has written to the civil aviation authorities. Qatar Airways, which recently launched its new brand building exercise plans to position the airline as an international airline in the region, said Gang.

The new brand identity initiatives include the improved in flight services such as announcements in different languages, regional movies and a wider cuisine. To give a `new look' the airline has also introduced new uniforms for the cabin crew, Gang said. "We are giving a greater thrust to personalised service," he said adding that the airline can fulfil the commitment because it has a small fleet and limited operations. The airline has a 12 per cent market share on the India-Doha sector which it plans to increase by six per cent during 1997-98. It has also targeted a 20-25 per cent increase in revenue from cargo and excess baggage during this period.

Qatar Airways plans to carve a niche in high yield traffic and attract passengers from the business community towards which it will introduce new products and value added benefits. This is expected to push up yield by about eight per cent, said Gang. To create awareness and generate more business, the airline will also launch a number of promotional schemes on this sector shortly.