Qatar Airways to trial widebodies on EX-YU routes

Qatar Airways will use the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Doha as an exercise to trial the deployment of widebody aircraft on flights to Belgrade and Zagreb. As previously reported, as a result of the expected growth in demand due to the sporting event, the carrier will utilise its Airbus A330-200 and -300 series jets to the Serbian capital. The 305-seat A330-300, featuring thirty seats in business class and the remaining 275 in the economy cabin, will be utilised from November 17 until November 20. From November 21 until December 3, Qatar will deploy the 260-seat A330-200 jet, after which it will again use its A330-300 aircraft until December 20. On the other hand, starting November 20 until December 20, the Qatari carrier will deploy its 254-seat Boeing 787-8 to Zagreb, featuring 22 seats in business class and the remaining 232 in economy.

The airline will utilise the opportunity to test the use of widebodies on the two routes prior to the 2023 summer season, particularly in terms of cargo demand. Qatar Airways has seen healthy loads to both Belgrade and Zagreb this summer. Despite ongoing restrictions throughout Asia, from which it drew a significant portion of travellers on the two routes, the carrier has seen strong loads from Australia, which fully reopened earlier this year and is now generating the bulk of its traffic to the Serbian and Croatian capitals. It has further benefited from Etihad Airways’ exit from the Serbian market and Emirates’ withdrawal from the Croatian market. The airline is seeing solid loads in its premium cabin as well.

Qatar Airways is currently experiencing a severe fleet shortage resulting from the grounding of 23 of its Airbus A350 aircraft due to an ongoing spat with Airbus over air worthiness issues, which the planemaker rejects. The carrier is wet-leasing equipment from the likes of Oman Air, leasing jets from Cathay Pacific, and has invited its partners American Airlines, Air Canada and Malaysia Airlines in launching flights to Doha to replace it on some of its services to New York, Toronto and Kuala Lumpur. This has prevented the airline from using its twin-aisle jets on occasion to Belgrade and Zagreb this summer. However, the fleet shortage is expected to ease with Boeing resuming deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner this month. The airline has 23 of the jets on order.

Qatar Airways is yet to fully restore its pre-pandemic frequencies to Belgrade and Zagreb. Although it maintained daily flights to the Serbian capital for most of the summer, it will run five weekly operations to the city from September 5. Previously, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, it maintained ten weekly services during the peak summer months and daily for the rest of the year. Similarly, in Zagreb, it currently runs five weekly flights, down from double daily prior to the global health emergency. From the end of this week, frequencies will decrease to three weekly. It should be noted that Qatar Airways drafted its summer timetable for the two cities back in February and has stuck to it. During the upcoming World Cup, services to both the Serbian and Croatian capitals will run on a daily basis.

EX-YU Aviation News

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