Qatar Airways is expanding its African network with route resumptions, added frequencies and a new service to Port Sudan, the carrier said in a press release as it continue to pivot following the third Gulf war with Iran during March.
The airline will restart four weekly flights to Seychelles and two weekly flights to Kigali from June 16, and a daily service to Marrakesh from July 1.
It is also increasing frequencies on several routes. Alexandria rises from three weekly flights to up to seven, Cairo from 28 to up to 35, Cape Town from seven to up to 10, and Dar es Salaam from three to up to seven. The Lusaka-Harare service goes from five weekly flights to up to seven, and Maputo-Durban from four to up to seven.
From July 2, the carrier will launch three weekly flights to Port Sudan, operating every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Flight QR1319 departs Doha at 09:00 and arrives at 11:00, with the return QR1320 leaving Port Sudan at 12:25 and reaching Doha at 16:20.
Qatar Airways said passengers travelling to Port Sudan from markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, such as Oman and Pakistan, could connect through Hamad International Airport. It said the move balanced sustainable growth with rising demand for connectivity and trade.
The carrier said it was rebuilding its network to more than 160 destinations worldwide.
- Seychelles (SEZ) – four weekly flights resuming from 16 June
- Kigali (KGL) – two weekly flights resuming from 16 June
- Marrakesh (RAK) – daily flight from 1 July
- Alexandria (HBE) – increased from three weekly flights to up to seven
- Cairo (CAI) – increased from 28 weekly flights to up to 35
- Cape Town (CPT) – increased from seven weekly flights to up to 10
- Dar es Salaam (DAR) – increased from three weekly flights to up to seven
- Lusaka (LUN)-Harare (HRE) – increased from five weekly flights to up to seven
- Maputo (MPM)-Durban (DUR) – increased from four weekly flights to up to seven
- Port Sudan (PZU) – three weekly flights from 2 July (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)
Why it matters for the trade
The Port Sudan launch is the line that stands out for us. With Sudan’s main airports disrupted by conflict, a Gulf hub carrier opening a scheduled service to the Red Sea city positions Qatar Airways as a connectivity lifeline for a market most carriers have pulled back from, routing trade and passenger flows from Oman and Pakistan through Doha. It is a calculated bet that early presence in a recovering market secures share later.
The wider frequency build-up, across Egypt, southern Africa and the Indian Ocean, shows the airline using its hub model to rebuild African feed at a time when regional rivals are constrained by the Iran war’s fallout on Gulf operations. For operators and tourism boards across the continent, restored frequencies to Cape Town, Marrakesh, Seychelles and Kigali widen the one-stop access that drives long-haul leisure and business demand into African destinations. The repositioning also should help with pricing after recent spikes.