Qatari airline bans smoking

The Qatari airlines company has announced that it will ban smoking on all its air flights as of the first of October. The company's executive director, Akbar al-Baqer, said in a statement in Doha on Tuesday that the international inclination, the low request for smoking seats and actual fears for the safety of passengers are all among the factors that led to such a decision being taken.

The statement added that a study carried out by the company, which conducts flights to 20 destinations, shows that only 8 to 10 percent of its passengers ask for smoking seats.