Doha to Canberra service will now begin again at the beginning of December, per Qatar Airways.
It will restart two months later than anticipated but is fully bookable. It makes its return in the middle of the World Cup, for which Qatar Airways has reduced 7% of its flight schedule.
From Doha to Canberra
On December 1st, Qatar Airways will fly from Doha Hamad to Canberra (December 2nd on the way back). In place of Sydney, it will route via Melbourne on a daily basis in both ways. Doha-Melbourne would therefore double to twice daily.
Melbourne was only permitted to travel once every day under the bilateral agreement between Qatar and Australia unless it continued to a smaller city. Therefore, supplying Melbourne is far more important than serving Canberra. There will be 354-seat B777-300ERs, the lowest-density model used by Qatar Airways. There are 312 seats in the economy section and 42 fully flat business beds.
The schedule is listed below, all timings are local. Observe the awful arrival time of 02:20 local time in Australia’s capital. It lacks the traffic rights to transport people between Melbourne and Canberra as a result of sabotage.
Doha to Melbourne: QR988, 01:30-23:05
Melbourne to Canberra: QR988, 01:05-02:20
Canberra to Melbourne: QR989, 13:00-14:15
Melbourne to Doha: QR989, 1615-22:40
Qatar Airways to Canberra: a summary
In February 2018, Qatar Airways began operating between Canberra and Sydney, Doha, and Sydney, Canberra, and Doha. Serving Canberra was a method to expand Sydney to two times daily, much like flying via Melbourne is now. Doha-Sydney continues to run once daily despite no longer using Sydney as a stopover.
It arrived in Canberra between 8:55 and 11:20 depending on the month, which is considerably more polite. Up to October 2019, it employed B777-300ER aircraft. Then, until the route was delayed in March 2020, A350-1000 aircraft were used.
Booking information indicates that approximately 63,000 travellers passed through Doha from Canberra in 2019. It should come as no surprise that the UK ranked first in terms of country markets, with Switzerland, Spain, Germany, and Austria following. Canberra-Barcelona was the best airport.
Canberra’s only international service
When it’s back, not only will Qatar Airways be the only long-haul airline serving Canberra, but it’ll also be the only carrier with any international service to the city. Canberra last had international operations in – you guessed it – March 2020 by both Qatar’s flag carrier and Singapore Airlines.
Doha to Down Under
Qatar Airways’ own metal serves seven destinations in Australia and New Zealand, summarized as follows. Its strategic relationship with Virgin Australia will help drive passengers, revenue, and market share. Note that stated frequencies are until next August, with any change stated for the Southern Hemisphere’s winter season.
Doha to Adelaide: 5x weekly (3x weekly in winter); B777-300ER (continuing to/from Auckland)
Doha to Auckland: 5x weekly (3x weekly in winter); B777-300ER (via Adelaide in both directions)
Doha to Brisbane: 1x daily; B777-300ER/A350-1000
Doha to Canberra: 1x daily; B777-300ER (via Melbourne in both directions)
Doha to Melbourne: 2x daily; B777-300ER (one terminator, one continuing to/from Canberra)
Doha to Perth: 1x daily; B777-300ER, but A380 from December (B777-300ER returns at the end of March)
Doha to Sydney: 1x daily; A380
