Qatar Airways’ flights are getting a lot shorter
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Tensions in the Gulf are easing as we enter the new year.
The latest comes as a new formal agreement between Qatar and several of its regional neighbors ended the 3.5-year blockade of the country.
On Thursday, the first Qatar Airways flight to overfly Saudi Arabia in over three years took to the skies.
Qatar Flight 1365, operated by an Airbus A350-900, departed Doha at 9:13 p.m. local time, en route to Johannesburg via Saudi Arabia airspace. Flying via the Kingdom will shave off roughly an hour from the previous roundabout routing over the Arabian Sea.
An agreement between Saudi Arabia and Qatar to reopen air and land borders between the two countries was first reported Monday and was formalized Tuesday, per Bloomberg News. Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates — which also had joined the initial boycott of Qatar — also agreed to restore diplomatic ties with the nation, according to NBC News.
This is big news for Qatar Airways and its passengers.
Sign up for TPG’s free new biweekly Aviation newsletter for more airline-specific news!
Since mid-2017, all direct flights from those nations to Qatar were cut and all Qatari-registered aircraft were banned from overflying its new regional foes.
For Qatar Airways, this has added significant amount of time to many flights. Without permission to fly over Saudi Arabia, Qatar Airways has been forced to take circuitous routes, burning unnecessary fuel and wasting passengers’ time.
With the new agreement, Qatar can expect to restore direct point-to-point flying across its expansive route network. It remains to be seen if and when nonstop flights to Qatar will resume from Saudi Arabia and its allies.
But to underscore the impact of the boycott, take a look at Monday’s Qatar Flight 1427 from Doha to Addis Ababa. As the crow flies, the Boeing 777 would normally fly over Saudi Arabia to get to Ethiopia.
However, due to the blockade that was still in place then, the jet’s circuitous route took it out into the Persian Gulf, around the UAE, and then over Oman before making a beeline for Addis Ababa.
Back in 2016, Cirium schedules show that Qatar blocked 260 minutes, or just over four hours, for its Addis Ababa flights. On Monday, Qatar blocked over five hours for the 1,402-mile flight — adding nearly a full hour of flying simply due to the blockade.
In December, I flew on Qatar’s inaugural flight to San Francisco. Before heading to Doha, I was spending a night in Dubai — which made for an eight-hour journey to get between the two countries.
Without any nonstop flights, I was forced to connect in Amman, Jordan. Aside from the significant backtracking, the Qatar Airways flight from Amman to Doha took a detour over Iraq to avoid flying over Saudi Arabia.
More: The 235-mile journey from Dubai and Doha that took over 8 hours
Now, for flyers’ sakes, it appears the diplomatic spat is nearing its end.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with news of Qatar’s first flight to ovefly Saudi Arabia.
Featured photo by Vytautas Kielaitis/Shutterstock
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer ends 8/3/2022.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer ends 8/3/2022.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.