Qatar Airways has announced plans to move to a double-daily service on its Doha-Melbourne route, following what it called “via a strategic agreement between the Victorian Government and the airline”.
The additional frequency will commence on October 1, 2022, and will also include an onward leg to Canberra, marking Qatar Airways’ return to the Australian capital.
Prior to the route’s suspension as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the airline had served Canberra via Sydney, but will now offer a daily B777-300ER servicing routing via Melbourne.
The full schedules for the Doha-Melbourne-Canberra service can be seen in the table below.
The move will bring Qatar Airways’ Australia network to 40 weekly flights across the six cities of Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
Commenting on the news Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker, said:
“Melbourne is the original home for Qatar Airways in Australia, and we are excited to enhance our operations there, as a testament to both strong demand and our deep commitment to Australia.
“We look forward to welcoming more passengers to experience our five-star hospitality, as travel to and from Melbourne to many cities worldwide via our Doha hub in Qatar.
“The launch of the additional daily flight to Melbourne ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will allow more football fans travel to attend their respective matches.”
Qatar Airways recently signed a new partnership with Virgin Australia, including codeshare agreements on 35 of the Australian’s carrier’s domestic routes.
Daily Doha-Melbourne-Canberra schedules from October 1, 2022
| Route | Flight | Aircraft | Departs | Arrives |
| Doha – Melbourne | QR988 | B777-300ER | 0130 | 2305 |
| Melbourne – Canberra | QR988 | B777-300ER | 0035+1 | 0150+1 |
| Canberra – Melbourne | QR989 | B777-300ER | 1430 | 1545 |
| Melbourne – Doha | QR989 | B777-300ER | 1715 | 2350 |
