Canberra will be added to its list of Qatar Aiways’ Australian destinations.
However, since Qatar carriers are only permitted 21 flights per week into major Australian ports, Qatar Airways would need these restrictions loosened for the planned service to go ahead as it is currently at its capped limit.
It is tipped that the Qatar flag-carrier will deploy its Airbus A350 on to the route. This is good news for corporate travellers journeying from Canberra and Sydney as they will be able to enjoy the 36 fully flat beds in business class which offers direct aisle access for every passenger.
Qatar Airways would be in direct competition with Singapore Airlines on some of the Canberra traffic, which launched as Singapore-Canberra-Wellington flights in September 2016. But the increase of international flights into the capital marks ‘an exciting new era for the Canberra region’, Federal transport minister Darren Chester revealed to The Canberra Times.
On the horizon for the Qatar flag-carrier in mid-2018 could also be a second daily flight to Melbourne. The airline already has an A380 servicing the Melbourne-Doha route and is reportedly looking to add a further service to Brisbane pending air traffic restrictions are relaxed.
Qatar Airways have just announced two new destinations to Yanbu and Tabuk in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The airline has several other destinations in its sites for 2017/18 including Dublin, Las Vegas, Rio De Janeiro, Santiago in Chile, and Medan in Indonesia. However, nothing has been disclosed so it’s a matter of ‘watch this space’ for Qatar Airways.
