It’s been a year of curveballs for Qatar Airways, but the Doha-based carrier is meeting the moment with characteristic resilience. After months of regional turbulence—including a temporary suspension of flights back in February—the airline has had to rethink routes, support stranded passengers, and keep its global network humming. Now, with the busy winter travel season approaching, there’s a palpable sense of recovery. Hamad Ali Al-Khater, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways Group, recently shared that passenger numbers have bounced back to about 90 to 95 percent of last year’s levels. Hamad International Airport, the airline’s sprawling home base, is now welcoming more than 140,000 travelers a day as international carriers slowly return to Doha. British Airways, for instance, resumed its daily direct service from London Heathrow to the Qatari capital earlier this month. It’s a sign that confidence is rebuilding, and that Qatar Airways is not just surviving the disruption but actively preparing for its next chapter. During a behind-the-scenes tour at Hamad International Airport, Euronews Travel got a rare look at the teams and facilities that have kept the airline airborne through it all—and at the plans that will shape its future.
Looking ahead, Qatar Airways is thinking bigger than just getting back to normal. Al-Khater revealed that the airline expects to take delivery of new long-range aircraft by the end of this year, complete with a fresh cabin configuration. These planes will allow the carrier to reach destinations far beyond what its current narrow-body fleet can handle. That means more opportunities to serve secondary airports and cities that were previously too expensive or difficult to reach economically. In other words, travelers might soon have more direct options to places that once required a connecting flight or a major hub. And that’s just the beginning. Over the next five years, Qatar Airways is slated to add 138 new aircraft to its fleet—a jaw-dropping expansion that signals serious long-term ambition. Passengers can also look forward to a new generation of the airline’s acclaimed Qsuite business class product, which Al-Khater says is due to be unveiled in the summer of 2027. For frequent flyers, that’s a reason to be excited. Behind the scenes, preparing for winter and returning to full operational strength is a massive undertaking involving aircraft maintenance, customer service, ground operations, and inflight offerings. It’s a carefully choreographed dance that rarely gets noticed by passengers, but it’s what keeps the airline’s promise of reliability intact.
When it comes to the upcoming winter schedule, Qatar Airways is pulling out all the stops. For the 2026-2027 winter season, the airline will expand its global network to more than 170 destinations, with 186 weekly flights across Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. In Europe alone, the carrier is increasing its London Heathrow service from 49 to 56 weekly flights starting on October 25, and Frankfurt flights will jump from 18 to 21 per week beginning December 7. That’s a lot of extra seats for travelers looking to escape the cold or visit family over the holidays. But adding flights is only part of the story. Ali AlSaadi, the airline’s chief maintenance, repair, and overhaul officer, explains that winter preparation is a routine but critical exercise. “We understand that the traffic pressure will increase during this time,” he says, “so we ensure that our aircraft need to be utilized to the highest level.” That means aircraft and cabin maintenance begins well before the season kicks off. The carrier’s massive MRO center handles everything from testing and enhancements to technical upgrades. During the tour, Euronews Travel got a close-up look at an aircraft undergoing maintenance as part of Qatar Airways’ continued rollout of Starlink connectivity. In August, the airline became the first to operate a Starlink-equipped Boeing 787-9, and it now operates 150 Starlink-equipped widebody aircraft—83 percent of its connectivity ambitions. For passengers, that means faster, more reliable Wi-Fi at 35,000 feet, which is no small thing in today’s always-connected world.
Beyond the winter schedule, Qatar Airways has been busy expanding its map in other ways. Earlier this year, the airline launched four weekly flights to Helsinki, Finland, in July, then quickly ramped that up to seven by August—a strong vote of confidence in the Nordic route. Even more notable was the expansion into South America. In July, Qatar Airways launched flights to Bogotá, Colombia, and Caracas, Venezuela, making it the first Gulf carrier to serve Venezuela and the first airline ever to connect the Middle East directly with both Caracas and Bogotá. That’s a big deal for travelers in those regions, who now have a new gateway to the Gulf and beyond. It also shows that Qatar Airways is willing to take calculated risks and explore underserved markets, even during uncertain times. For passengers, these new routes mean more choices and more opportunities to explore corners of the world that were previously harder to reach. And with the airline’s reputation for award-winning service, the experience of flying to these new destinations is likely to be just as memorable as the destinations themselves.
Inside Hamad International Airport, the scale of operations is almost overwhelming. Euronews Travel was given access to the airport’s integrated operation center, where flight operations and navigation services professionals monitor every movement in real time. This is the beating heart of the airline, where teams can track flights, monitor cabin conditions—even the temperature onboard—and respond to disruptions as they happen. The center proved its worth during the regional airspace closures, when Qatar Airways had to reroute some operations southward because flying north remained a challenge. By adapting quickly, the airline managed to maintain access to key markets and keep its network intact. It’s also exploring options with partners to create new operating space and ease pressure on its existing routes. But it’s not just about navigation and logistics. At the airport’s workshop, as many as 80 engines are serviced at any given time. These engines, each worth between $20 and $40 million, require constant care, especially in a climate where sand can tarnish the blades. A single blade can cost around $250,000, so maintaining them is both a technical and financial challenge. It’s a reminder that keeping an airline running requires an immense amount of expertise, investment, and attention to detail—most of which passengers never see.
Perhaps the most human element of Qatar Airways’ resilience is its passenger support center, activated in the aftermath of the national airspace closure on February 28. At the time, 8,000 passengers were stranded in the Qatari capital, and another 8,400 were stuck across the carrier’s network. It was a chaotic, stressful moment, but the airline’s response showed the power of being more than just an airline. As Chief Operating Officer Abdulla Ali put it, “You can plan as much as possible, but you can’t see the future. What made a massive difference, however, was that Qatar Airways is not just an airline—we’re a group. We are the airport operator, we are the airline, we are the ground handlers.” That integrated approach made all the difference in a crisis. Looking ahead to the winter season, Ali acknowledges that regional crises are still ongoing, but he draws confidence from lessons learned during previous disruptions, including Covid-19. The airline is in a solid position to keep operations efficient and passengers supported, no matter what comes next. He even hopes the passenger support center remains a permanent part of the airport. “Part of our contingency plans mean we will always need such a department,” he says. “However, this space can also be for other functions, because at the end of the day, this is a service. Regardless if there is a crisis or not, we are always going to want efficient operations, provide the best customer service. How we maneuver and become agile will always remain.” That mindset—flexible, service-first, and prepared for anything—is exactly what will carry Qatar Airways through the winter and into its next era of growth.
