Top 3 Headlines
Qatar Airways announces winter 2025/26 schedule including return to Canberra
Qatar Airways is set to significantly boost its global network in its Winter 2025/26 schedule, increasing frequencies on over 15 major routes across Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. This also includes a return to Canberra, Australia, from December 2025 served daily by Boeing 777 flights featuring Qsuites and free Starlink WiFi. Operating via Melbourne, this new route will replace the current Adelaide-Melbourne-Doha leg. Other updates from the schedule include:
- Abu Dhabi: Increased to up to 6 flights daily
- Berlin: Increased to up to 21 flights per week
- Cape Town: Increased to 12 flights per week
- Casablanca: Increased to 5 flights per week
- Dublin: Increased to 17 flights per week
- Frankfurt: Increased to 21 flights per week
- Johannesburg: Increased to 18 flights per week
- London Heathrow: Increased to up to 10 flights daily
- Madrid: Increased to 17 flights per week
- Maldives: Increased to 4 flights daily
- Manchester: Increased to 24 flights per week
- Phuket: Increased to 4 flights daily
- Sao Paulo: Increased to 18 flights per week
- Sharjah: Increased to 7 flights daily
- Tokyo-Narita: Increased to 14 flights per week
- Toronto: Increased to 7 flights per week
- Canberra (via Melbourne): New route starting December 2025
Oman Air holidays launches with TUI
Oman Air has launched a new digital platform, Oman Air Holidays, in partnership with global tourism giant TUI. The platform offers curated travel packages to over 20 countries and aims to position Oman as a top destination for international travellers. It supports Oman Air’s strategy to grow inbound tourism through stronger partnerships, expanded routes like Amsterdam and Rome, and its recent entry into the oneworld Alliance. The initiative combines TUI’s global reach with Oman Air’s service, delivering a streamlined, guest-centric holiday booking experience for both local and international markets.
Emirates adds fourth daily flight to London Gatwick
Starting 8 February, 2026, Emirates is launching a fourth daily service between Dubai and London Gatwick. Operated by its new Airbus A350, it will feature Premium Economy and next-gen Business Class and brings Emirates’ total London flights to 12 daily across Gatwick, Stansted, and Heathrow. The new flight (EK069) will leave Dubai at 17:05 and arrive in Gatwick at 20:50, while the return flight (EK070) will leave Gatwick at 23:55 and land in Dubai at 11:00.
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Noteworthy
- flynas has officially launched direct flights three times per week from King Khalid International Airport (Riyadh) and Vnukovo International Airport (Moscow). The new flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays.
- Pegasus Airlines is set to expand its Zagreb operations over winter to four flights per week in November, and the new year, with three flights per week during December.
- Turkish Airlines has resumed flights to Aleppo, Syria from 1 August after a 13-year suspension. Flights will operate three days per week.
- Etihad Airways has inaugurated its first A321LR service to Phuket, introducing a narrow-body, long-range aircraft to the popular Southeast Asian route for improved flexibility and efficiency.
- SalamAir has taken delivery of a new Airbus A321neo, boosting capacity and signaling expansion across key regional and international routes.
- Air Arabia is increasing frequencies to Baku (Azerbaijan) and Tbilisi (Georgia) in response to high summer travel demand.
- Riyadh Air looks likely to choose London Heathrow as part of its inaugural services having secured slots from October 2025.
- Ooredoo has introduced Platform 51, a new digital entertainment and connectivity platform now available on board Kuwait Airways flights, offering passengers a richer in-flight experience.
