TAROM, the Romanian airline, sells its costly daily London Heathrow Airport slots to Qatar Airways. Effectively, the Airport Coordination Limited ( ACL) has announced that on 14 August 2024. It confirms that the transaction was a sale of daily departure and arrival slots permanently. Moreover, the transaction price is yet to be disclosed.

A change in Operations Time

Initially, TAROM’s daily flight with Airbus A318 operated from LHR to Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport. The airline has scheduled the arrival time at 14:05 and departure time at 14:50 ( UTC +1 ). Nevertheless, with the new changes, Qatar Airways has requested to change the arrival and departure times of its flight from LHR to Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH).

The changes will take effect on October 27 and will be in place for the entire International Air Transport Association (IATA) winter season until March 29, 2025. After the adjustment, the Qatar Airways aircraft will land at LHR at 11:00 PM and take off at 11:05 PM. Furthermore, Qatar Airways intends to operate flights with codes QR109 and QR110 for the operations from and to LHR, using Boeing 777 300 ER as well.

Plan for daily flight to LHR

According to aviation analytics company Cirium, Qatar Airways intends to operate 49 weekly flights between LHR and DOH in November. Thus, the airline will reportedly have eight daily flights.

Ch-aviation data indicated that Qatar Airways operates 28 777-300ER aircraft. Each one is equipped with 42 business class seats and 312 economy class seats. Additionally, The airline’s remaining 777-300ERs have first class, 53 business class, 235 economy class seats,24 business class, 388 economy class seats,37 business class, and 302 economy class seats, as well as 42 business class and 316 economy class seats. 

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is the national Qatari airline. It has won the ‘World’s Best Airline’ eight times at the World Airline Awards. The airline also won multiple other categories such as ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’. Qatar Airways has had a big impact on its industry innovation and digital adoption. the World Travel Tech Awards voted it as the ‘World’s Best Airline Website’.

The airline is also certified for environmental management and the prevention of illegal wildlife trafficking. Qatar Airways flies to over 170 destinations worldwide through its hub, Hamad International Airport, which has allowed it to receive other accolades.

More About TAROM

TAROM, the Romanian Air Transport, was established in 1954. It is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance and operates on over 50 destinations. The airline owns a young fleet of 25 aircraft and has been a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) since 1993.

TAROM focuses on environmental sustainability and joined the SkyTeam alliance on June 25th, 2010, offering customers access to a global network and loyalty program.

As Qatar Airways prepares to implement these changes for the IATA winter season, the aviation industry will be closely watching the impact of this transaction on both airlines’ operations and the competitive landscape at one of the world’s busiest airports.

What do you think about the TAROM decision? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments!