Qatar Airways, which plans to more than double its fleet to 110 aircraft by 2015, has leased six Airbus planes from US-based CIT Group to meet rising passenger demand.

State-run Qatar Airways, which operates an all-Airbus fleet of 49 planes, leased the single-aisle A320 and A321-200 aircraft for delivery in 2007 and 2008, the carrier said in a statement.

"Qatar Airways is growing at a phenomenal rate and, in order to meet our expansion plans, we have looked carefully at ways to boost our fleet size," Akbar Al Baker, the airline's chief executive, is quoted a saying in the statement.

The statement did not give the value of the deal.

The Middle East is home to some of the world's fastest growing airlines. Passenger traffic in the region rose 6.4 percent in the first seven months of the year, according to the International Air Transport Association.