2,000+ flights: Foreign airlines with the biggest presences in Qatar this year
Published: 28 September 2024
Simple Flying report says that Indian low-cost operator IndiGo tops the list with over 8,000 flights to Qatar this year
NT Bureau
Doha
In addition to Qatar Airways’ massive international network, many foreign airlines offer thousands of scheduled flights to Qatar this year with some foreign airlines offering over 2,000 scheduled flights in 2024, aviation news website Simple Flying reports, citing Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
The Indian low-cost operator IndiGo tops the list with over 8,000 flights to Qatar this year. “IndiGo operates scheduled services to Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) from Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kozhikode, Hyderabad and Chennai. With 8,114 flights to Qatar this year, IndiGo offers over 1.5 million seats, translating to over 2.6 billion ASMs,” the report says.
Dubai-based low-cost carrier FlyDubai operates six daily flights from its hub at Dubai to DOH. The 70-minute route is served by the carrier’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. FlyDubai is scheduled to operate 4,364 flights to Qatar this year, offering over 750K seats, the report adds.
Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, operates up to four daily flights from Bahrain to DOH. Gulf Air will operate 2,810 flights to Qatar this year, offering over 400K seats.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways and Sharjah-based Air Arabia operate multiple daily flights to Doha from their respective hubs. Etihad operates up to four daily flights from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to DOH. Served onboard the carrier’s Airbus A320 fleet, Etihad will operate 2,664 flights this year, offering over 450K seats.
Air Arabia operates three daily flights from Sharjah, UAE (SHJ) to DOH. Served onboard the carrier’s Airbus A320 family fleet, Air Arabia will operate 2,606 flights this year, offering nearly 485K seats, translating to over 916 million ASMs.
Indian flag carriers Air India and Air India Express each operate over 2,000 flights between various major cities in India and Doha. From Delhi, Kochi, and Mumbai for Air India to Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram for its wholly owned subsidiary, the Indian carriers combined operate nearly 5,000 flights, offering 900K seats.
Finnair primarily operates its fleet of Airbus A330-300 widebody jets from several major cities to Doha, including Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Stockholm. Finnair will operate 2,212 flights this year, offering over 617K seats.
Similarly, the Saudi Arabian budget airline Flynas operates flights to Doha from several major cities in the Kingdom. Flynas will operate 2,166 flights this year, offering over 368K seats, Simple Flying report adds.
