Market News

By Guardian Nigeria

Qatar Airways is boosting its service to Nigeria with the launch of four weekly flights to Kano and three weekly flights to Port Harcourt (PHC) from March 2022.

The airline currently operates two daily flights to Lagos and four times a week to Abuja, which will expand to a daily service in March.

Kano and Port Harcourt will become the seventh and eighth new African gateways launched by Qatar Airways since the start of the pandemic. Both routes will be served by the state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner, featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 in Economy Class.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said the airline was one of the few to keep operating to many African destinations throughout the pandemic and, as restrictions are lifted, is continuing to expand its network on the continent.

“As home to the largest economy and population in the region, we see tremendous growth potential for travel and trade in Nigeria. It is a key market and an important part of our African growth strategy; the expansion of our presence across two new gateways is a testament to our continuous commitment to Nigeria.

“We anticipate good reciprocal demand between Port Harcourt, UK, United States and destinations across Asia. For Kano, we see the opportunity to grow traffic to and from markets such as Saudi Arabia and India, as well as strong cargo prospects.”

As travel restrictions ease, Qatar Airways is restoring its services to all its African destinations. With Kano and Port Harcourt flights starting operation, the airline will provide 188 weekly flights to 28 destinations in Africa.

Qatar Airways’ African customers will also benefit from generous baggage allowances, which provide for up to 46kg in Economy Class, split over two pieces and 64kg split over two pieces in Business Class.