DUBAI - Qatar Airways is in talks with the Australian government to increase the number of routes the airline operates to the country, its chief executive said on Monday.

A request by the state-owned airline to operate more routes to Australia was rejected last year.

"We continue our communication with the Australian government, and we see it moving in a positive way," Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer told reporters in Dubai.

"Hopefully in the next few months we will get some positive news from Australia. We are looking forward to expand and grow more in the Australia market," he said.

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Jamie Freed)