DOHA, 17 December 2024: Qatar Airways will relaunch daily flights to Canberra, the capital city of Australia, via Melbourne, effective December 2025.
Flying from its home base, Hamad International Airport, in Doha, the airline will deploy a Boeing 777 aircraft featuring a Q-suite business class cabin and complimentary high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi for all passengers. Flights for the new service are already on sale.
Qatar Airways ceased flights to Canberra during the global Covid-19 pandemic.
ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr said the announcement that Qatar will resume international flights out of Canberra (via Melbourne) is great news going into a big five years for tourism.
He said: “It’s a timely boost to our local tourism industry with aviation access being the biggest driver to growth in the sector and it’s great news for Canberrans wanting to travel overseas, particularly to Europe, the UK and the Middle East.
“Qatar Airways’ return will benefit the whole Canberra region, providing tourism, trade, investment and a range of business opportunities. It will also make an important contribution towards the Government’s goal of growing our tourism economy to AUD5 billion in visitor expenditure by 2030.”
The announcement, made on 15 December 2024 comes on top of the launch of sales of Virgin Australia’s new services from Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne** to over 100 destinations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, operated on Qatar Airways aircraft.
The Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia partnership, pending final regulatory approval, positions Virgin Australia to strongly compete in the international travel market, delivering increased competition, improved connectivity, and enhanced customer choice.
