Qatar Airways Confirms Intent to Boost UK Operations

Qatar Airways has confirmed it will launch a new flight between Doha and Birmingham and is currently in talks with other two other UK airports to significantly expand its operations into the country. The airline currently operates 45 non-stop flights each week between the UK and the State of Qatar with a five times daily link to London Heathrow and ten flights each week to Manchester.

Qatar Airways made its debut at London Heathrow in August 1997, adding flights to Manchester in April 2003. It has also offered flights to London Gatwick, most recently serving the airport between November 2004 and May 2011. In 2011 around 955,000 passengers flew between Doha and the UK, according to UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data, many of these connecting on to other global destinations via Doha International Airport – this figure is estimated to be around 82 per cent of this total, with an estimated O&D demand between Doha and the UK of around 170,000 passengers a year.

“The UK represents the largest single European market for Qatar Airways with the high level of frequencies we operate. Naturally, as part of our growth plans, we are considering opening up new UK gateways to offer customers more choice,” the airline confirmed in a statement. “We can confirm we are planning to launch passenger flights to Birmingham, but are not yet in a position to announce a date nor schedules. As for the other two UK airports we are interested in, we cannot comment further on these as we are currently in the process of carrying out feasibility studies.”

The growth of Qatar Airways’ network in the UK will mirror the success of Emirates Airline in the country. Alongside its services to London Heathrow and Manchester, the Dubai-based carrier also serves Birmingham, Glasgow, London Gatwick and Newcastle. Although Qatar Airways remains tight-lipped over its plans it has previously discussed growth in Scotland so Edinburgh could be a likely destination, while a return to London Gatwick could be on the cards with growth options at London Heathrow limited.