Qatar Airways is to resume daily flights between Doha and Gatwick from next week.
The service will be operated from August 20 using Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft with 22 business class seats and 232 in economy.
The return Gatwick link will see the airline’s UK operations expand to 45 weekly flights to four UK gateways:
- Edinburgh (three weekly flights)
- Gatwick (daily flights)
- London Heathrow (three daily flights)
- Manchester (two daily flights)
Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: “We are very pleased to resume flights to London Gatwick, further cementing our position as the leading international carrier providing connectivity to the UK.
“The UK is a very important strategic market for Qatar Airways, and we are proud of our repatriation efforts to-date including never stopping services between the UK and Doha that have helped bring over 200,000 passengers home.
“The resumption of London Gatwick services is a significant indicator of the resilience of the UK travel market, and we look forward to resuming more of our UK destinations to support the recovery of tourism and trade in the region.”
Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate added: “We are delighted to welcome Qatar Airways back to Gatwick after what has been a challenging time for the whole industry.
“To be able to offer Gatwick passengers the opportunity to fly to Doha – a fantastic city in its own right and a gateway to destinations across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand – is another positive step in the recovery process.
“Alongside our airlines, Gatwick has implemented a number of extra measures to keep both passengers and staff as safe as possible travelling through Gatwick, which is helping to rebuild public confidence in air travel.”