Qatar Airways to resume Adelaide service; boost for Australian exports

August 10, 2020: Effective August 16, Qatar Airways will resume Adelaide, Australia service. It will become the airline’s fifth destination in Australia to resume flights, making Qatar Airways the only international carrier currently servicing five major cities in Australia.

In addition to Adelaide service, Qatar Airways will operate 23 passenger flights per week to Australian cities such as Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. There will be two weekly freighter flights to Australia, supporting repatriation and Australian exporters. 

Qatar Airways Cargo has operated a large number of charters and freight-only passenger aircraft to support Australian exporters and transport essential medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also introduced twice-weekly B777 freighters to Melbourne and Perth in April 2020 in response to the demand for Australian fresh produce and pharmaceuticals. With the resumption of passenger flights to Adelaide, the airline will operate a total of 25 flights in and out of Australia every week, comprising of 23 belly-hold cargo flights and two freighters, offering more than 700 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity each way.

Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said, “We are excited to resume services to Adelaide, highlighting our ongoing commitment to the Australian market during this difficult period. We have been the airline of choice for many Australian Embassies to help bring Australians home. Australian Government data (BITRE) showed during the peak of repatriation efforts, our airline helped take home almost ten times more passengers in and out Australia than our nearest competitors.”

In April, Qatar Airways Cargo partnered with the Australian government to restore critical global supply chains through the International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM). Through the IFAM project, the airline has helped restore vital global supply chains between Australian exporters and their customers throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

“We are proud to have been one of the few airlines to never stop services to Australia, even expanding our Australian operations during the crisis, to help repatriate over 170,000 Australians and international travellers with their loved ones and transporting hundreds of tonnes of cargo to maintain vital supply chains for Australian agriculture exporters. The resumption of Adelaide services and the recent launch of new flights to Brisbane demonstrate our long-term commitment to Australia and our guarantee to support Australian passengers and exporters with global connectivity during both good and bad times,” he added.

Australian minister for trade, tourism and investment and senator for South Australia Simon Birmingham said, “I am delighted to see the ongoing commitment of Qatar Airways to the Adelaide market. These flights will provide another freight route for South Australian exporters, enabling them to get their high-quality produce onto planes and into the Middle East and Europe.” 

Adelaide Airport managing director Mark Young said, “We’re excited to welcome back Qatar Airways and we welcome their reaffirmed commitment to the Adelaide market. This will be the first regular international passenger service to the Middle East since March, and will open up important connections through to Europe and beyond for both essential travellers and South Australian freight exporters.”

Qatar Airways began its services to Adelaide in 2016 - flying the first A350 into Australia. Benchmark figures identified that Qatar Airways’ fleet of A350 aircraft saved up to 20 tonnes of CO2 per block hour on routes to Australia compared to the A380.