Zanzibar and Canberra return to the map as the airline adds capacity across Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe, North America and Saudi Arabia for the 2026–27 winter season.
Qatar Airways plans to serve more than 170 destinations during the 2026–27 winter season, with route resumptions and frequency increases across six continents.
- Qatar Airways plans to serve more than 170 destinations in winter 2026–27, with nearly 1,800 weekly frequencies scheduled during December 2026.
- Daily Zanzibar flights resume on October 25, 2026, while daily Canberra service via Melbourne returns on December 9.
- Phuket and Malé rise to 21 weekly flights, London Heathrow to 56, Johannesburg to 18 and Frankfurt to 21 during the season.
- Qatar Airways is also expanding Starlink availability, with more than 150 equipped widebody aircraft and up to 340 connected flights operating daily.
(NEWS) DOHA, Qatar, 2026-Sep-11 — /Travel PR News/ — Travellers connecting through Doha will see a substantially broader choice of departure times and destinations this winter as Qatar Airways pushes its network beyond 170 destinations and adds capacity across several of its busiest long-haul markets.
The airline’s 2026–27 winter schedule, published on September 10, combines route resumptions with higher frequencies across Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and the Middle East. Nearly 1,800 weekly frequencies are planned during December 2026, making the programme one of the clearest signs yet of Qatar Airways’ continued network rebuild and expansion through Hamad International Airport.
The two most visible returns are Zanzibar and Canberra. Daily flights to Zanzibar resume on October 25, while Canberra reconnects to the network on December 9 through a daily service operating via Melbourne. For passengers, however, the larger impact comes from the frequency increases spread across existing routes, particularly in Asia Pacific and Europe.
Asia Pacific receives some of the biggest increases
Thailand and the Maldives are among the strongest beneficiaries. From October 25, Phuket rises from 14 to 21 weekly flights and Malé increases from 12 to 21, giving travellers three daily options on each route.
Vietnam also gains additional capacity. Ho Chi Minh City increases from seven to 11 weekly services from November 7, supported by the return of four direct weekly Doha–Ho Chi Minh City flights. Qatar Airways will continue its existing Doha–Ho Chi Minh City–Phnom Penh operation alongside the nonstop service.
Kuala Lumpur moves to 18 weekly Qatar Airways flights from October 25. The carrier says the schedule will be complemented by 14 weekly services operated between Kuala Lumpur and Doha by Malaysia Airlines, its oneworld partner.
Australia sees a wider reshaping from December 9. The return of daily Canberra flights via Melbourne coincides with Qatar Airways doubling Melbourne frequency from seven to 14 weekly services. Partner Virgin Australia is also expanding its Doha flying from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth: Sydney rises from seven to 14 weekly Virgin Australia flights, Brisbane restarts with three weekly services and Perth restarts with four. Qatar Airways says that will produce combined weekly totals of 21 flights from Sydney, 10 from Brisbane and 11 from Perth when its own services are included.
Africa gains restored and higher-frequency links
Qatar Airways’ African changes begin with the return of daily Zanzibar service on October 25. The route restoration adds another Indian Ocean leisure market to the winter network and restores a direct Doha link for travellers heading to the Tanzanian archipelago.
From December 2, Johannesburg increases from 14 to 18 weekly flights. Seychelles follows later in the season, moving from four to seven weekly services from March 1, 2027.
The added frequencies expand connecting choices through Doha for travellers moving between Africa and markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, while also giving leisure destinations such as Zanzibar and Seychelles additional international access during the northern winter period.
London reaches eight daily Qatar Airways flights
Europe’s largest increase in the announcement is at London Heathrow, where Qatar Airways will raise frequency from 49 to 56 weekly flights from October 25 — equivalent to eight daily services. The route is also supported by a daily British Airways codeshare flight between London and Doha.
Frankfurt increases from 18 to 21 weekly flights from December 7, providing three daily Qatar Airways frequencies between the German financial centre and Doha.
Across the Atlantic, Montréal rises from five to seven weekly flights from October 25. Qatar Airways says the change represents a 40 percent increase in seat capacity and is intended in part to meet travel demand between Canada, the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East.
Four Saudi routes return during the winter
The Middle East programme includes the resumption of four Saudi Arabian destinations. Qassim returns on October 25, followed by Taif on October 31, Yanbu on January 2, 2027 and Tabuk on January 3.
Each will operate twice weekly. With those routes restored, Qatar Airways says its Saudi network will reach 12 destinations and more than 155 weekly flights, over 10 percent higher than its summer schedule.
The Saudi additions sit within a wider increase in Middle East flying, where the airline expects daily frequencies across the region to rise by about 10 percent during the winter season.
Starlink expansion follows the growing route map
The network increase is arriving alongside a rapid expansion of onboard connectivity. Qatar Airways says more than 150 of its widebody aircraft are now equipped with Starlink and that as many as 340 Starlink-enabled flights can operate in a day across its network.
An August 2026 fleet update confirmed that the airline had reached 150 Starlink-equipped widebody aircraft after extending the system to the Boeing 787-9 and completing installation across its 787-8 sub-fleet. Qatar Airways said at the time that it remained on track to complete Starlink installation across the wider Boeing 787 fleet by the end of 2026.
For connecting passengers, the winter schedule is therefore about more than adding destinations to a route map. The combination of restored cities, denser frequencies on established routes and a larger connected long-haul fleet gives travellers more flexibility in how they build itineraries through Doha — particularly where a single daily service is becoming two or three.
Bookings for the new and expanded winter services are open through Qatar Airways’ website and mobile app, with the schedule rolling out from late October 2026 through early March 2027.
