If the company Qatar Airways is quick to announce the resumption of its routes following the Gulf crisis, it nevertheless remains more discreet about the destinations to which it has suspended services... and which will remain suspended this winter.
The Qatari carrier did announce in mid-June that it would be resuming its network of 160 destinations during the summer. This return to normal has thus resulted in the recent opening of Port Sudan in Africa (2 July) and the resumption of its flights to Kigali, Marrakech, and the Seychelles. Added to this on 22 July will be the routes to Caracas/Bogota, and on 1 August to Philadelphia.
However, at the same time, 13 routes suspended due to the Iran–US conflict will still not be reinstated in the winter schedule. This represents a reduction of approximately 7 % in its overall programme of flights departing from Doha. In fact, Qatar Airways is now forecasting 38,651 one-way departures from Doha during the winter season, compared with 41,750 in mid-June.
The destinations concerned are Gassim (Turkey), Hamburg, Malta, Neom Bay, Tabuk, Taif and Yanbu (Saudi Arabia), Sofia, Venice and the Doha–Djibouti–Mogadishu triangle. The Doha–Abuja–Kano route also remains partially suspended: flights to Abuja are maintained, but the extension to Kano remains interrupted.
Flights to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen in the Asian part of the metropolis have also been removed from the schedules for the entire winter season. In contrast, Qatar Airways continues to serve Istanbul International.
Several destinations could, however, make a return for the summer season from 28 March 2027. These include Gassim, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Malta, Neom Bay, Tabuk, Taïf and Yanbu. Qatar Airways specifies, however, that these resumptions remain in the realm of planning and could still be modified in future updates to its schedule.
Good news is the return of flights to Iran from 16 September, particularly to Mashhad, Shiraz and Tehran Imam Khomeini, which remain integrated into its operating schedule. That is, if the situation in the Middle East does not flare up again by then. Nothing is less certain...
