Qatar Airways Ltd. announced plans to add San Francisco to its network of U.S. destinations, plotting expansion just days after rival Emirates moved to reduce flights to the country citing President Donald Trump’s travel restrictions. The Doha-based carrier will serve the California city starting in 2018, the company said Monday at a press conference in Dubai. The Persian Gulf airline will use Boeing Co. 777-300 aircraft on the route, which will become its 15th U.S. destination. Qatar Airways has remained bullish on the U.S. even after Trump’s administration targeted the region with an attempt to block travel from six predominantly Muslim nations and a ban on carrying on laptop and tablet computers on flights from Middle East airports, including Doha. Emirates, which is based in Dubai, last week cited weaker demand caused by the restrictions as the cause for scaling back flights on five of its 12 U.S. routes. American rivals have accused Emirates and Qatar Air with unfair competition. “We didn’t have massive declines like other carriers, so we still have robust loads to the U.S.,” said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker, vowing not to reduce frequencies on U.S. routes. “President Trump is a very wise individual and a very good businessman, and I don’t think he will buy into bullying by the three American carriers.” Indian Expansion Al Baker said U.S. planes are flying about 75 percent full, down about half a percentage point since the laptop ban. Qatar Airways currently flies to 14 destinations in the U.S. including Orlando, Boston, New York and Washington. It introduced measures to counter the electronics ban by offering loaner laptops to premium customers on U.S.-bound flights, joining Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways in working around the restrictions. Alongside the San Francisco service, Qatar Airways is opening a total of 26 new routes this year and next. To further its reach, the airline plans to submit a joint application with Qatar Investment Authority to set up a new Indian carrier in “weeks” and expects to finalize its purchase of a 49 percent stake in Italy’s Meridiana SpA in the coming days, Al Baker said. “The U.S. is not the entire world,” the CEO said. “We have a lot of other opportunities, a lot of other new markets which we will keep expanding to.”