Qatar Airways is slowly rebuilding its US network after one of the most disruptive periods in the carrier’s recent history. Schedule data shows that the airline’s US flights in Q2 2026 have been cut by 49% compared with the same quarter last year, with more than 1,300 flights removed from its 11 destinations across the US.

The sharpest cuts fell in April as Qatar remained at the center of Middle East conflict, with the schedule gradually improving through May and June. But Qatar Airways will still be operating at 25% below normal capacity at the end of the quarter, reflecting the complicated restart of a long-haul network after the Iran war forced the closure of Qatari airspace and left Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) unable to function normally as a global connecting hub.

Qatar Airways’ US Schedule Is Down By Nearly Half

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The immediate cause of the cutback was the airspace crisis around Doha. Qatar Airways was forced into a limited operation after Qatari airspace was closed, and while the airline has been bringing flights back, the recovery has been gradual rather than instant. That is clear in the US schedule: April was severely reduced, May showed a partial rebuild, and June is getting closer to normal, but still well below last year’s level.

Qatar Airways has been explicit that the rebuild is being staged. The airline said its revised schedule would gradually increase flights to and from Doha to more than 120 destinations by mid-May, across its network. A later network update said that Qatar Airways is targeting the expansion of services to more than 150 destinations from June 16, with the updated schedule valid through September 15. The key point for passengers is that the carrier has had to rebuild the hub piece by piece rather than simply returning to its previous timetable overnight.

That matters especially for the US. Qatar Airways’ American network is almost entirely about long-haul feed over Doha. If Doha cannot operate normally, the US routes are among the hardest to restore quickly: they require long aircraft rotations, heavy crew commitments, premium-cabin demand, and reliable onward connectivity to South Asia especially, but also Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The airline cannot simply bring back US cities in isolation; those flights only work properly when the onward bank at Doha is functioning.

Some US Gateways Were More Protected Than Others

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The route cuts have not been evenly distributed across the 11 US destinations. Qatar Airways has prioritized its largest and most strategically important gateways first, typically destinations that are oneworld bases and where it operated greater than daily frequencies last year. Meanwhile, airports like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) have delayed returns later in the quarter and a slower build-up to regular schedules.

New York JFK Airport (JFK), as the carrier’s largest US route, is the clearest example of how Qatar Airways has tried to keep its core US routes functioning through the disruption, albeit at reduced levels. It returns to its regular schedule of 18 weekly flights during the course of the quarter. Large American Airlines hubs like Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Miami International Airport (MIA) have also been prioritized because of their alliance and hub connectivity value.

The more dramatic cuts are at the edges of the rebuild. Atlanta has only 22 Q2 flights because it is not due back until June 12, while Boston is not due to return until June 16. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) also show steep quarterly reductions because their June resumptions leave little time to rebuild the full Q2 total.

Qatar Airways will be keen to get schedules restored because its US routes are strong performers, consistently delivering 90%+ load factors across the network. Once Doha’s banks, regional routings, crews, aircraft rotations, and onward connectivity become reliable again, the economics of rapidly restoring US routes to full capacity is compelling.

American Airlines Is Taking A More Cautious Approach

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American Airlines is also a part of this story. It usually operates a daily flight from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Doha in partnership with Qatar Airways. The Middle East carrier used to operate the route itself, but collaborated with American as it moved its Doha service from New York JFK to Philadelphia in 2023. The service has the same commercial logic as the 11 Qatar Airways routes, as it relies heavily on the onward network from Doha, especially to South Asia.

The fragility of that arrangement became obvious when Flight AA120 turned into a marathon “flight to nowhere” at the end of February. Having departed Philadelphia normally, the outbreak of hostilities forced it to abort its mission, and it turned back over the Mediterranean, just as Gulf airspace was being shut. The Boeing 787-9 eventually returned to Philadelphia after more than 15 hours in the air.

American now appears to be taking a more cautious approach than Qatar Airways itself, with the route only planned to return in September. But that restart remains conditional on regional circumstances. Qatar Airways’ latest operational update also says expanded schedules remain subject to operational, regulatory, safety, and other circumstances, while flights visible in the schedule “do not constitute a confirmation of resumption of scheduled commercial operations.” That is a strong signal that the recovery plan is real, but not fully locked down if the war heats up again.