Qatar Airways is a major Middle East-based airline with an extensive global network. It operates a fleet of over 200 aircraft and has more than 43,000 employees. While it misses out on a place among the largest airlines in the world (to the larger American and European operators), it has an impressive global network of over 170 nations across five continents.

It operates routes ranging from 92 miles to 18060 miles. We take a look at the main busiest routes served at the start of 2025. The two longest routes are to major hubs in London and Bangkok, followed by several routes that ensure good connections with the Middle East region.

This analysis is based on data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, for the month of January 2025.

1

Doha (DOH) to London Heathrow (LHR)

Qatar Airways’ most frequent route, with 247 one-way flights in January 2025

Qatar has long valued the route to London Heathrow Airport
. It has been a top-operated route for many years (beaten interestingly in 2021 by Male as the airline emerged from the COVID slowdown).

Qatar Airways flies the routes between seven and nine times a time. It operates a mix of widebody aircraft on the routes, scheduled in January as follows:

• Airbus A350-900: 25 flights
• Airbus A350-1000: eight flights
• Airbus A380: 62 flights
• Boeing 777-200LR: 12 flights
• Boeing 777-300ER: 140 flights

The route is also operated by British Airways
, a fellow oneworld alliance member. It has a single daily flight (BA 126 from Doha), operated using a Boeing 777-300 aircraft.

Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock

London is even better served by Qatar Airways than these numbers suggest. The airline also operates flights from Doha to London Gatwick (LGW). In January, there were 44 one-way flights, mostly using the Boeing 787-8, and a couple of flights using the Boeing 777-300.

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Qatar Airways has a diverse fleet of widebodies and narrow bodies today.

For completeness, this analysis is based on data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, for January 2025. The numbers quoted are for one-way flights from Doha (DOH) to the destination. Obviously, in most cases, there are similar numbers of operating types for journeys from the destination back to Doha, but there could be differences.

2

Doha (DOH) to Bangkok (BKK)

Bangkok is Qatar Airways’ busiest Asian route, with 196 one-way flights in January 2025

Qatar Airways operates the route to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
an impressive 196 times each way in January. This is with six flights a day. It is the only airline that operates direct flights on the route.

Photo: KenSoftTH I SHutterstock

It operates the following types on the route:

• Airbus A350-900: 32 flights
• Airbus A350-1000: 29 flights
• Airbus A380: 31 flights
• Boeing 777-300ER: 95 flights
• Boeing 787-8: nine flights

3

Doha (DOH) to Abu Dhabi (AUH)

Qatar Airways’ busiest regional route, with 167 one-way flights in January 2025

Qatar Airways does not just operate long-haul routes, it has extensive regional connections as well. The other major Middle Eastern airlines have similar routes, as part of strategies to compete on routes across the region.

Leading the way for Qatar Airways is the route from Doha to Abu Dhabi International Airport
, the home base of Etihad Airways
.

Qatar Airways operates 167 one-way flights to Abu Dhabi in January. This is up to five flights each way. Demonstrating the competition in the region, Etihad Airways also operates up to four daily flights on the route.

Photo: Soos Jozsef | Shutterstock

Qatar Airways operates most flights with narrowbody Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft, but there are a few widebody types scheduled on the route:

• Airbus A320: 119 flights
• Boeing 737 MAX 8: 40 flights
• A330-200: two flights
• A330-300: three flights
• Airbus A350-1000: one flight
• Boeing 787-8: one flight
• Boeing 787-9: one flight

4

Doha (DOH) to Dubai (DXB)

There are 155 one-way flights to the Emirates hub in January

Following on with regional connections and competition, the next busiest route (by number of flights) is to Dubai International Airport
, the home base of Emirates
.

Qatar Airways operates 155 flights in January. Emirates does not fly this route, but flydubai
does – with up to six flights daily. Emirates used to operate this route before the Doha blockade and has not resumed flights since. With so many connections with flydubai, and Emirates only operating widebodies, the airline has chosen to stay away.

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Qatar Airways only operates widebodies on this busy route:

• Airbus A330-200: ten flights
• Airbus A330-300: five flights
• Airbus A350-900: 21 flights
• Airbus A350-1000: 40 flights
• Boeing 777-200LR: 11 flights
• Boeing 777-300ER: 32 flights
• Boeing 787-8: 11 flights
• Boeing 787-9: 25 flights

5

Doha (DOH) to Jeddah (JED)

Jeddah is joint with Dubai in fifth place – with 155 daily flights

Doha (DOH) to Jeddah Airport
(JED) is another important route that ensures regional connection options for Qatar Airways, opening up the growing Saudi Arabian market. Qatar Airways is the leading carrier on the route by far with up to five flights per day. Saudia
and flynas
each generally operate once per day.

Photo: Cangavi | Shutterstock

For this route, Qatar Airways operates a mix of narrowbody and widebody aircraft, as follows:

• Airbus A320: 21 flights
• Airbus A330-200: seven flights
• Airbus A330-300: 16 flights
• Airbus A350-900: 30 flights
• Airbus A350-1000: four flight
• Boeing 777-300ER: 43 flights
• Boeing 787-8: 17 flights
• Boeing 787-9: 17 flights

6

Doha (DOH) to Riyadh (RUH)

Connections to Saudi Arabia are even greater, with 135 flights to Riyadh as well

Along with 155 flights to Jeddah, Qatar Airways operates 135 daily flights to Riyadh Airport
.The airline is likewise the leading carrier on the Riyadh route, with up to five flights per day. Again, each operates, too, with one and two daily flights, respectively.

Qatar Airways returns to a mix of narrowbody and widebody. It operates the following types on the route:

• Airbus A320: one flight
• Airbus A330-200: six flights
• Airbus A330-300: four flights
• Airbus A350-900: nine flights
• Airbus A350-1000: ten flights
• Boeing 777-200LR: one flight
• Boeing 777-300ER: 30 flights
• Boeing 787-8: 17 flights
• Boeing 787-9: 10 flights

Related

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7

Doha (DOH) to Bahrain (BAH)

The airline’s shortest route to Bahrain is also one of its most frequent

Qatar Airways’ flight to Bahrain is the shortest route it operates from Doha, at just 92 miles (148 km). Incredibly, though, other airlines operate even shorter commercial flights, even with widebody aircraft. The current shortest with a widebody goes to Air Tanzania with its 43-mile route between Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam and Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) on the island of Zanzibar.

Read more about some of the shortest flight routes globally in our guide.

Again demonstrating the competition in the region, Qatar Airways goes head-to-head with Gulf Air
on this route. Both airlines have heavy schedules, with Gulf Air edging slightly ahead with up to five daily flights.

Qatar Airways is operating all flights on this route in January 2025 using the Airbus A320, although it has deployed widebodies in the past. Gulf Air is doing the same.

Photo: kbp.spotter | Shutterstock

8

Doha to Damman (DMM), Kuwait (KWI), Muscat (MCT)

All these regional routes have four daily flights

With the same frequency, we put the regional routes to Damman (DMM), Kuwait (KWI), and Muscat (MCT) together in tenth place. All these routes have four daily flights with Qatar Airways, totaling 124 for the month.

Photo: Rob Atherton I Shutterstock

The competition on these routes varies, but Qatar Airways has the most frequent service in all cases:

• Doha to Damman (DMM) is only operated by Qatar Airways, with four daily flights.

• Doha (DOH) to Kuwait (KWI) is also operated by Kazeera Airways (once or twice daily) and
  Kuwait Airways

  (once daily). Qatar Airways has four daily flights.

• Doha (DOH) to Muscat (MCT) is also operated by
  Oman Air

  (up to three flights daily) and
  Salam Air

  (once or twice daily. Qatar Airways has four daily flights.

All three routes see a mix of airlines. Many flights are operated with the Airbus A320, but all widebody types make an appearance. Kuwait has the most widebody flights, with almost half being operated with the Boeing 777-300ER.

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