Malaysia Airlines plans to commence daily Kuala Lumpur (KUL)-Doha (DOH) flights from May 25, adding a third Middle Eastern destination to its network.

The route will be operated with an Airbus A330-300 aircraft comprising 290 seats, including 27 in business class. Malaysia Airlines currently operates to Jeddah (JED) and Medina (MED) in Saudi Arabia.

The service comes after Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways buttressed their codeshare relationship in February by signing a memorandum of understanding to engage in “strategic cooperation.” The carriers, both members of the oneworld alliance, said in a joint statement that “both airlines will leverage each other’s network strengths.”

Malaysia Airlines noted that through its codeshare accord with Qatar Airways, passengers will be able to connect via DOH to destinations around the world.

"In light of the continued easing of travel restrictions across the globe, Malaysia Airlines' new route to Doha is an excellent opportunity to expand our network and offerings while significantly connecting the ASEAN markets with the Middle East region and beyond,” Malaysia Airlines CEO Izham Ismail said, adding: “The service will further boost the growth of traffic flow via [Kuala Lumpur], opening up Malaysia more broadly to travelers from other international destinations. As a leisure and tourism player, we aim to play a significant role in bringing in international travelers to continue driving Malaysia’s tourism recovery via this new route.”