Qatar Airways and Vueling have signed an interline agreement.
The deal aims to enable the Gulf airline to increase its passenger numbers to Europe, while also strengthening Spanish carrier Vueling's hubs in Rome and Barcelona.
It will also provide passengers with a "greater range of options for long-haul connections", Qatar Airways said.
Interline agreements allow passengers to book multiple segments on more than one airline and include baggage transfers.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said: "This agreement with Vueling is the first step in offering our clients seamless access to and from Europe via Rome Fiumicino and El Prat.
"Both airlines, as well as the teams at Fiumicino and El Prat will work towards providing the best possible travel experience for all our passengers."
Vueling president Álex Cruz added: "Over the last five years, Vueling has been the engine of growth at El Prat airport and now this new agreement will give us, Qatar and Vueling, the opportunity to further improve Fiumicino's network.
"Both airports will increase its ranking and become more competitive across Europe and the world."
Qatar Airways currently operates ten weekly flights to Barcelona, and seven weekly flights to Madrid. It also runs a double-daily service to both Rome and Milan and daily flights to Venice.
Vueling holds a 38 per cent market share at its main hub in Barcelona – from here it offers direct flights to 121 destinations and up to 11,000 connections across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Last week, Qatar Airways announced it is adding a second A380 service to its Doha to London Heathrow route in December (see news, September 23).
Graham Smith
