BERLIN - The number of flights permitted between the European Union and Qatar will gradually increase following the signing of an agreement this week and result in unlimited access by 2024, the CEO of Qatar Airways said on Wednesday.

Qatar and the EU signed a broad air services pact on Monday allowing Qatari and airlines of EU member states unlimited access between each other's airspace.

"Once it is ratified there (will be) a gradual increase of frequencies until we achieve full open skies somewhere in the next half of next decade between 2020-2024," Akbar al-Baker said in Berlin.

(Reporting by Caroline Copley, writing by Alexander Cornwell, editing by Susan Fenton) ((Alexander.Cornwell@thomsonreuters.com;))