iscover
Qatar Airways will return to Canberra next year for the first time since COVID-19.
The Gulf carrier will launch a daily service via Melbourne in December 2025 using its 777 fleet, bringing international connections out of Canberra back to two after Batik Air indefinitely suspended its Denpasar service in October.
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“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,” Canberra Airport CEO Stephen Byron said.
“We believe that providing a greater choice of carriers and destinations not only makes prices more competitive but also opens up boundless opportunities for our community, connecting our city to the rest of the world.
“These opportunities are not just about enhancing connectivity; they’re about strengthening business connections, driving economic development, and creating jobs, as well as fostering tourism and attracting international students to our vibrant city.”
Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, CEO of Qatar Airways, said the airline is “delighted” to be returning to Canberra.
“The nation’s capital, the political heart of Australia, 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,” he said.
“Whether travelling for business, government services or leisure, our commitment to Australia, and to Canberra, is one that we know will bring much needed healthy competition to the market and greater choice for passengers.”
Qatar, which operated flights to Canberra via Sydney before the pandemic, first starting in February 2018, remains barred from increasing its services from Doha to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth under Australian bilateral air service agreements, but is permitted to fly as many services as it likes to smaller airports like Canberra.
The airline has recently found a way to skirt these restrictions, however, with a move to take a 25 per cent stake in Virgin Australia and allow Virgin to wet lease its aircraft for 28 weekly flights to Doha; as these flights would be under an Australian carrier, this would be allowed under the current bilateral air service agreements.
Assistant Minister for Competition, Dr Andrew Leigh, told ABC Radio in January that Qatar was welcome to return to the nation’s capital.
“In an environment in which we have more than 3000 international movements a week … a dozen flights from Qatar is significant but it’s not the only factor in airline competition. I’d love to see Qatar flying directly into Canberra,” he said.
“After the Minister’s decision, they decided to up their number of movements into Adelaide, where they’re unrestricted. They’re also unrestricted from more movements into Canberra. They were flying out of Canberra for a period, then they stopped during the pandemic and they haven’t returned.”
Fiji Airways is currently the only airline flying international services from Canberra, with a route to Nadi having commenced last July.
