Qatar Airways has announced the expansion of its services to the United Arab Emirates with the launch of direct flights to Ras Al Khaimah from October 1.Operating daily, QR1120 will depart Doha’s Hamad International Airport at 8.15pm and arrive at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport at 10.30pm. The return flight, QR1121, will leave at 11.30pm and arrive in Doha at 11.45pm.“The UAE is a market that is strong and full of confidence,” said Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker. “Today, Qatar Airways enjoys a robust operation in the UAE with 98 flights a week to Dubai, 28 flights a week to Dubai World Central, 42 flights a week to Abu Dhabi and 21 flights a week to Sharjah. Now, with the addition of seven weekly flights to Ras Al Khaimah, Qatar Airways will have a total of 196 weekly flights from Doha to the UAE,” according to a statement.Sheikh Salem bin Sultan bin Saqr al-Qasimi, chairman of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome Qatar Airways to the network of airlines operating at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport. Ras Al Khaimah is a global destination for both tourism and commerce and the new daily Qatar Airways QR1120 flight will service up to 400,000 passengers travelling in and out of the emirate on an annual basis from October.”Ras Al Khaimah, which is the northern-most emirate of the UAE, is located approximately 45 minutes from Dubai International Airport and offers travellers an even greater variety of options when they are looking to reach Dubai. With a wide range of activities covering water sports, sailing cruises, desert camps, golf courses and mountain adventures, the destination enables fun-filled stopovers as well as extended holidays.An Airbus A320 will be operated on the Ras Al Khaimah route. Passengers from key markets in Europe, the Americas and the GCC region will have increased availability of flights to the UAE when transiting via Doha, the statement adds.