With an unprecedented amount of airlines grounding fleets and countries imposing border restrictions due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways has affirmed its commitment to keeping a large part of their route network connected.
A service update from the Doha-based carrier read: “We appreciate this is a difficult time and that many people around the world are trying to find a way to get home. At Qatar Airways we continue to operate more than 150 flights per day so that as many people as possible can get home safely to their loved ones.
HEATHROW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LHR / EGLL, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2018/11/30: Qatar Airways Boeing … [+]
“As of 24 March, we are operating services to over 70 cities worldwide. We are constantly reviewing our operations to see where there is more demand and requests, and wherever possible we will add more flights or bigger aircraft. This is a challenging time for the aviation industry and we are thankful to airports and authorities and their staff around the world for their incredible efforts to help us get passengers home.”
Many other airlines have grounded their entire fleets around the world, but Qatar Airways retains considerable flexibility to adjust its aircraft type on certain routes, particularly those to Europe. The middle eastern carrier operates a wide-body fleet that consists of a350s, a380s, a330s, Boeing 777s and the 787 Dreamliner. However, unlike other airlines who operate a less diverse fleet, Qatar has been able to adjust operations with reduced demand and even has the option of placing narrow-body aircraft on certain routes. The airline also operates every variant of the smaller a320-family aircraft, allowing for potential future equipment flexibility to keep certain low-demand operations running.
01 March 2020, Hessen, Frankfurt/Main: A plane from Qatar lands at Frankfurt Airport after dark. The … [+]
Qatar Airways has amended its ‘Travel with Confidence’ and flight disruption policies and has taken the unprecedented move of not only offering customers the option of a ticket refund but for those who choose to receive a travel voucher for future use, passengers will receive the full unutilized value of their ticket plus an additional 10% of the fare cost as an added value offer.
The airline is reinstating some previously suspended flights to France and Germany in addition to upgrading existing flights to larger aircraft with the tag #TakingYouHome.
