dailynewsnblog
Each week, airlines from around the world submit schedule changes to Cirium Diio, OAG, and other platforms. In the latest update, 
Qatar Airways disclosed that it’d return to Canberra, the capital of Australia. It’ll now do so in December, rather than in the previously scheduled September. It is unclear if September flights were simply a placeholder that were not intended to be flown. Regardless, the relaunch in December has now been confirmed.
The resumption might not be exceptionally notable in itself, especially in comparison to cutting Airbus A380 flights to Guangzhou, Singapore, and northern winter service to Sydney. But it is newsworthy because of its unusual nature. Qatar Airways does not want to fly to Canberra International Airport (CBR). It does so to increase market access to the critically important Melbourne Airport (MEL).
Hang On: Qatar Airways To CBR?!
The 
oneworld member has flown from Doha to CBR since 2018. Flights initially operated via 
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) in both directions until the COVID-19 pandemic forced the route to stop in 2020. When service to CBR resumed, MEL was used as the stopover point instead.
It is a regulatory loophole. Qatar Airways can fly to Australia up to 28 times a week to the country’s four main airports. It has used up all this allowance, which is why Virgin Australia (which wet leases Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ERs) flies to DOH on its behalf. There are only a few ways for the Gulf giant to expand its own specific Australian routes.
It could, for example, cut frequencies to other major airports in the country, which it would not be appealing as it would reduce market share and competitiveness. Alternatively, it could upgauge aircraft to boost the number of available seats. But market share advantages come from having more flights.
It could also increase the number of flights by flying via or onward to a regional city (which even includes the country’s capital) via a major city. There are no frequency limits with this option. This is why Qatar Airways originally flew via SYD and later switched to MEL. (It is also why the airline previously served Adelaide Airport (ADL) via MEL.) The carrier has no, or very little, interest in serving CBR itself. Indeed, between 2018 and 2020, Analytic Flying shows that its then-SYD-to-CBR add-on typically only had an average of 38 passengers.
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What Is Happening Now?
Qatar Airways last flew to CBR in March 2026, before the ongoing war in Iran forced it to stop. The new plan is for the route to return on December 8. While the airline previously flew daily, it’ll now do so four times a week, with the daily offering returning in March 2027 (i.e., at the start of the northern summer season for airlines). The non-first-class, three-class, 354-seat Boeing 777-300ER will be deployed.
December’s schedule is shown below. For obvious reasons, passengers cannot only buy a MEL-CBR-MEL ticket. As usual, the schedule is designed for connectivity in DOH. Remember: most of the passengers will begin or end in MEL, not CBR. Perhaps surprisingly, booking data for December 2025 to March 2026 shows that Qatar Airways’ most popular market to/from CBR was Jeddah. The rest of the top five were London, Dammam, Muscat, and Paris. They all had small numbers of passengers.
The 8:25 AM departure from DOH to MEL and CBR will be fed by Qatar Airways’ third-largest number of flights arriving overnight from Europe. It’ll also benefit from a decent number of inbound services from across the Middle East and Africa. The 10:25 PM arrival time to the Middle East will then feed Qatar Airways’ second-largest number of Europe-bound services that leave DOH in the early morning. The after-midnight period is also key for African and Middle Eastern outbound flights.
Leg | Flight Number | Days | Local Times |
|---|---|---|---|
DOH to MEL | QR988 | Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays | 8:25 AM-5:55 AM+1 |
MEL to CBR | QR988 | Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays | 7:25 AM-8:30 AM |
CBR to MEL | QR989 | Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays | 12:30 PM-1:45 PM |
MEL to DOH | QR989 | Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays | 4:10 PM-10:25 PM |
Qatar Airways Abruptly Cancels All Airbus A380 Flights On Major Long-Haul Route [Map]
It is the latest cut to the superjumbo’s winter schedule. 54% fewer A380 flights are now planned.
Qatar Airways & Virgin Australia’s DOH-Australia Flights
Let’s look ahead to April 2027. In that month, Qatar Airways will have six daily nonstop departures to Australia. By then, its operation to ADL, which currently continues to 
Auckland Airport (AKL), is due to be a standalone DOH-ADL-DOH service again. Virgin will have four daily flights from Australia to DOH on behalf of Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways will fly from DOH to ADL (daily A350-900), Brisbane Airport (BNE; daily 777-300ER), CBR (daily 777-300ER via MEL), MEL (two daily 777-300ER; one will continue to CBR), Perth (daily 777-300ER) and SYD (daily A380; the superjumbo is scheduled to return in March next year). ADL does not count towards the 28 weekly departures limit, while the Gulf operator can fly to MEL two times daily (as well as daily to the other major airports) as one flight is extended to CBR.
Meanwhile, Virgin will fly daily from BNE, MEL, PER, and SYD to DOH, all on the 777-300ER. To help maximize connectivity in DOH, the two airlines have different schedules and thus each feed specific banks of flights at DOH. This is a critical benefit of the agreement. For example, departures from DOH to MEL will leave at 1:35 AM, 8:25 AM, and 8:20 PM. This helps to grow market share and competitiveness.
