Seems everyone wants to fly to Qatar these days, with Finnair announcing they will fly to Doha daily. As the airline is based in Helsinki, you’d think that would be the only place where they would fly from.
In reality they will fly from three cities at the top of Europe to the Middle East. Happily they will also be operating a codeshare with Qatar Airways, a fellow oneworld alliance airline.
Finnair to Doha Daily
At this time, information is fairly scant, apart from the knowledge that flights will be from Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen. They will all operate to Doha daily, which is 21 flights per week.
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- Non-reclining business class seats? Don’t mind if I do!
Flights will commence in November and December 2022, using Finnair’s Airbus A330 aircraft. These will feature the very well received brand new business class seat swiftly being rolled out by the airline.
Why Now?
Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup in November and December, which you would think might be a reason for this. While some of these services should start in time for it, you don’t go on a daily year round schedule for a one off event.
Comments by Qatar Airways CEO give an indication – “Soon, Doha will be the oneworld hub bringing more airline partners together than ever before.” Looks like they want the city to be the connecting point between Europe and points east and not just by their local airline. Nothing wrong with that, as it should provide more opportunities for flyers, if the price is right.
Overall Thoughts
Since these services will be marketed by both Finnair and Qatar Airways, they have every chance at success. Doha is an excellent connecting point for flights onwards to Asia, Australia and New Zealand, with Hamad International Airport providing a world class experience for travellers.
Finnair’s new business class with no recline is one of the most innovative products out there. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, so if you can afford it, definitely give that a go. I can’t wait to try it myself!
What do you think of Finnair heading to Doha daily from not one but three cities? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by Jakkrit Prasertwit on Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons.
I hope, that Qatar continue flying from HEL, because their service is excellent. Finnair economy is like low cost airline.
You would hope so, but you never know. Since they are codesharing, maybe it will be a mixture of both airlines? We will see once the schedules come out, I guess.
Hopefully a win-win for all concerned. Finnair needs long-haul destinations for its widebody fleet since portions of its Asian network are suspended. Doha as an Oneworld hub makes sense since the alliance is weak in (Eastern) Africa, India, and the Fertile Crescent region
Yes, Qatar Airways really fills the gaps for oneworld really. It’s good that they are in the alliance, that’s for sure!