Four airlines will operate between the Middle East and Australia this year: Emirates,
Etihad Airways,
Qatar Airways,

and Virgin Australia.

The market last had four carriers in 2018, when Qantas pulled out of Dubai and returned to stopping in Singapore en route to/from Europe.

Virgin will begin flying to Doha in June using Boeing 777-300ERs wet-leased from Qatar Airways. This is a way for Qatar Airways to expand its Australian footprint by using half of the traffic rights (the Australian half) that are currently unused. It will be Virgin’s second time in the Middle East. It follows its 2011 foray to Abu Dhabi, when it was called V Australia, in partnership with Etihad. It pulled out in 2017.

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What will replace it is currently unknown.

These flights will be available

According to Cirium Diio data for June to December 2025, when Virgin will be operational, the quartet plans an average of 22 daily non-stop take-offs (double for both ways).

Examining non-stop flights avoids double-counting Qatar Airways’ one-stop service, currently Doha-Melbourne-Adelaide. This will switch to Doha-Melbourne-Canberra in December, marking the return of the airline’s flights to Australia’s capital since 2020 (when it stopped in Sydney). This setup is simply to gain more Melbourne traffic rights.

Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock

Flights will rise to a record 24 non-stop daily departures in December 2025, in time for the peak summer in Australia and Christmas. This coincides with the start of Virgin’s fourth and final Doha route (Melbourne) and Emirates becoming entirely non-stop to Australia following the end of its final one-stop route from Dubai to Melbourne via Singapore, ending in March.

One-stop services to Australia were much more critical in the past. For example, as recently as February 2018, carriers had up to 27 daily flights, including various one-stop services: Emirates from Dubai to Brisbane via Singapore, Melbourne via Singapore, and Sydney via Bangkok.

The four carriers’ routes

The same June-December period shows the following routes, frequencies, and equipment. For the first time since 2020, six Australian cities will have Middle Eastern flights this year.

When all carriers are combined, Virgin’s arrival in December means Melbourne will have the most services, up to eight daily. In contrast, Sydney will have a high of seven daily departures. For the first time, all of these flights will be non-stop.

Photo: Markus Mainka I Shutterstock