New Route of the Day (31 October 2021): Qatar Airways between Doha and Moscow SVO
Qatar Airways has (again) switched airports in Moscow. On Sunday 31 October the oneworld carrier transferred its daily Doha service from Moscow DME to Moscow SVO. The 3,600-kilometre route will be flown using the airline’s 777-300ERs. Qatar Airways originally began serving Moscow in July 2003 when flights were also to Sheremetyevo. However, in September 2004 it transferred its service to Domodedovo with frequency on the route reaching 3-daily before the pandemic struck. In addition, the carrier has been serving St. Petersburg since 17 December 2017. This route was served daily with the airline’s single-aisle A320s until the end of March 2020. Since resuming the route in August 2021 flights have operated 2-weekly.
34 European routes in November
This November, Qatar Airways is operating non-stop scheduled passenger services to 34 destinations in Europe, compared with 50 in pre-pandemic November 2019. The only ‘new’ destinations are Moscow SVO (replacing Moscow DME) and Berlin BER (replacing Berlin TXL). Looking at Cirium Data and Analytics schedule data submitted by the airline for August 2022 and comparing it with August 2019 reveals a number of European airports whose Qatar Airways service will still not have resumed by then. These are Birmingham, Cardiff, Gothenburg, Lisbon, Malta, Nice, Pisa, Sarajevo, Skopje and Thessaloniki. However, its is quite possible that some (or even all) of these services will be reinstated before the peak summer 2022 period.
What they said
His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, said: “As the Qsuite makes its debut on our Moscow route, passengers can look forward to an unforgettable journey in the World’s Best Business Class, to many destinations. With our growing network, we can offer passengers from Sheremetyevo seamless connectivity to popular destinations in Asia, Africa, Middle East and the Americas, and top sunshine getaways like Maldives, Seychelles and Zanzibar via the ‘Best Airport in the World 2021’, Hamad International Airport (HIA).”
Mikhail Vasilenko, Director General of JSC Sheremetyevo International Airport, said: “Sheremetyevo International Airport heartily welcomes Qatar Airways, and we especially value the highest levels of service and legendary hospitality provided by the airline to its customers. Travellers will definitely appreciate this new route from Moscow to Doha and the opportunity to travel to more than 140 remarkable destinations around the world. In turn, Sheremetyevo International Airport is ready to provide Qatar Airways’ passengers with the most modern amenities, world-class service at 5-star Skytrax level, and the best quality of customer care to be found among Europe’s largest airports.”
