Friday, August 30, 2024 Qatar Airways currently operates passenger flights to five UK airports: Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Heathrow, and Manchester. However, Cardiff is notably absent from the list, with no indications of its return. Alongside its close partner and fellow oneworld member British Airways, Qatar Airways plans to offer up to 12 daily flights to London, setting a new record for winter operations, though not for the entire year.
In mid-August, Qatar Airways secured an additional slot pair at Heathrow, one of the world’s most congested and sought-after airports. This acquisition was made possible by purchasing slots from Romanian flag carrier TAROM, which will exit Heathrow on October 26, the final day of the northern aviation summer season as defined by IATA slot regulations. Starting October 27, the first day of the northern aviation winter season 2024/2025, Qatar Airways will introduce its eighth daily service between Doha and Heathrow.
The new flight, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, is scheduled to arrive at 14:05 and depart at 15:30. Despite this significant frequency, it does not set a record for the airline. An analysis of Qatar Airways’ schedule using Cirium data reveals that the airline has been operating eight daily flights to Heathrow, particularly on Saturdays, since April 2023.
Initially, eight daily flights were planned for Saturdays this winter, but the airline has now extended this frequency to four days a week. In a further enhancement of its winter schedule, Qatar Airways will increase its Heathrow services to nine daily flights on Saturdays, up from the previously planned eight. These nine daily departures will be available starting November 2 and are expected to continue throughout 2025.
The slightly easier availability of Saturday slots at Heathrow has facilitated this increase. Qatar Airways and British Airways’ close collaboration means that the London-Doha service, where approximately 85% of passengers connect beyond Doha, should be viewed as a combined operation. This collaboration will result in up to 12 daily flights between London and Doha this winter, setting a new seasonal record, though not an overall record.
The pair had already reached 12 daily flights on 24 dates between April and August 2024. Together, Qatar Airways and British Airways will offer up to 11 daily flights from Heathrow—a level of frequency never achieved before. This expansion positions them more competitively against Emirates, although Emirates still leads in capacity and passenger volume, primarily due to its use of the A380.
Despite serving Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted, Emirates slightly lags behind Qatar Airways and British Airways in the number of London-Doha flights. The growth in Heathrow services has come at the expense of Gatwick. British Airways has ended its Doha service from Gatwick, doubling its offerings at Heathrow instead.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways, which previously operated three daily flights from Gatwick until early 2020, has also shifted focus, consolidating its operations at Heathrow. Here’s what the duo has planned for the winter 2024/2025 season: S.No.
Route Airline Frequency Aircraft (in order of flights) 1 Heathrow-Doha Qatar Airways Seven to nine daily 777-300ER, A380, A350-900, A350-1000, 777-200LR 2 British Airways Double daily 777-200ER, 787-10 3 Gatwick-Doha Qatar Airways Daily to twice daily 787-8 When examining the combined London-Doha operations of Qatar Airways and British Airways for the upcoming winter season, their joint schedule reveals a robust offering. However, it’s worth noting that on Wednesdays, there are ‘only’ 10 departures, a slight reduction from the typical frequency. This occurs when Qatar Airways schedules seven flights from Heathrow.
The winter 2024/2025 schedule showcases the strategic collaboration between the two carriers, allowing them to maximize coverage and connectivity between London and Doha. While most days see a full complement of flights, the mid-week schedule reflects a minor adjustment, with Qatar Airways scaling back to seven daily departures from Heathrow on Wednesdays, resulting in a total of 10 combined flights for that day. This slight reduction highlights the dynamic nature of their scheduling, ensuring optimal load management while maintaining strong service levels across the week.
S.No. Day Heathrow Gatwick Total London 1 Monday 10 1 11 2 Tuesday 10 2 12 3 Wednesday 9 1 10 4 Thursday 10 1 11 5 Friday 10 2 12 6 Saturday 11 1 12 7 Sunday 10 2 12.
