Qatar Airways announces six new routes, strengthening its European presence by adding Budapest, Bucharest, Brussels and Nice, and flights to Phuket and Hanoi to boost Asian operations.

Announcing the expansion at the airline’s annual commercial conference in the Qatari capital Doha, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker spoke of the carrier’s commitment to develop its route network far and wide from its hub.

The Doha-based airline will phase in the route expansion over a four-month period from October 2010.

The carrier’s European expansion drive will be marked on November 24 with  thrice-weekly flights to the French Mediterranean city of Nice.

The New Year sees Qatar Airways’ entry into eastern Europe with the launch of four flights a week to the Romanian capital of Bucharest, starting on January 17. The services continue on to Budapest, capital city of Hungary.

Finally, with five flights a week from January 31, the Belgian capital of Brussels, home of the European Parliament, rounds off an impressive list of destinations for the airline.