Qatar Airways to restart Canberra flights

Qatar Airways will return to Canberra by the end of 2025, although these won’t be direct flights to and from the airline’s hub at Doha.

Instead, the national capital will be connected to the rest of the world via a daily Melbourne-Doha flights.

It’s a similiar arrangement to when Canberra first landed on the QR network map in 2018 before being scrapped in 2020, although in those days the Canberra route ran via Sydney.

By the end of 2025, a globe-striding Boeing 777 equipped with business class Qsuites and fast free Starlink WiFi will fly almost 14 hours from Doha to Melbourne, and after a short stopover will then make a much shorter hop up to Canberra.

The airline has not yet confirmed if this means Canberra will replace Adelaide as the add-on leg for one of its two daily Melbourne services. Plans for a previous Canberra-Melbourne-Doha route were announced but then scrapped in late 2022.

Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said that as “the political heart of Australia”, Canberra “rightly expects to be served by a range of international airlines, and I am proud that we are able to play our part in that.”

“Whether travelling for business, government services or leisure, our commitment to Australia, and to Canberra, will bring much needed healthy competition to the market and greater choice for passengers.”

For his part, Canberra Airport CEO Stephen Byron underlined the importance for these flights for not only Canberra but surrounding regions.

“This service not only provides over a million residents access to a global network spanning more than 170 destinations but also invites the world to rediscover Canberra’s unique cultural, educational, and tourism offerings.”

Qatar Airway’s Canberra flight is separate to the Melbourne-Doha flights now being sold by Virgin Australia.

And it’s perhaps no accident that this announcement comes as the national government’s Foreign Investment Review Board continues to review the proposal for the Gulf carrier to take a 25% stake in Virgin Australia.

More to follow...