Qatar Airways To Launch Flights To Kano, Port Harcourt

By Ugonna Opara

Qatar Airways is set to launch flight operations  from Abuja to Kano and Port Harcourt to boost aviation services in Nigeria.

According to the Airways, there will be increase in its services to Nigeria in March 2022 with the launch of the new routes to Kano (KAN) and Port Harcourt (PHC), both operating through Abuja, Nigeria.

They will operate four weekly flights to Kano from March 2, 2022, and three weekly flights to Port Harcourt from March 3, 2022.

In a statement, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker praised the carrier’s resilience and 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.”

Following the announcement, the Doha-based carrier plans to expand its services to Nigeria to four destinations. These include two daily flights to Lagos and four weekly flights to Abuja.

Overall, Qatar will service 188 weekly flights to 28 destinations in Africa by March 2022.

According to the airline, the new services to KanoKano and Port Harcourt mark the seventh and eight African gateways launched by Qatar Airways since the start of the pandemic, with plans to deploy its 787 Dreamliner fleet on these new routes.

The Airways Group chief noted: “we welcome Kano and Port Harcourt to our growing African network, with flights starting early March 2022, via Abuja to Doha and onwards to over 140 destinations.

“We anticipate good reciprocal demand between Port Harcourt, UK, USA and destinations across Asia. For Kano we see the opportunity to grow traffic to and from markets such as KSA and India, as well as strong cargo prospects,” said the airline in the statement.

“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.”