Qatar Airways is adding a route to Japan – with the city of Osaka to gain a direct service between Doha to Kansai International Airport.
Qatar Airways Airbus A350-900 climbing out of Manchester Airport – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
This will be Qatar Airways third destination in Japan – with the airline currently serving Tokyo Haneda and Tokyo Narita. It will provide direct connectivity to the Central region of Japan.
The airline plans to start the service five times a week on the 6th April 2020, before going to a full daily from the 23rd June 2020.
Planned operation is as follows:
QR802 DEPART DOH 02:10 ARRIVE KIX 17:50KIX 359 x24 QR803 DEPART KIX 23:30 ARRIVE DOH 04:50+1DOH 359 x24 Commences 6th April 2020, Five times a week (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday) Commences 23rd June 2020 as a daily service Booked Equipment: Qatar Airways Airbus A350-900 (Standard Configuration) Data: Qatar Airways
The airline is planning to use an Airbus A350-900 on this route, with 36 Business Class seats and 247 economy class seats – indicating this will use a standard configuration A350 as opposed to one with QSuites installed.
In Quotes
On the announcement, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive,Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said:
“We are truly delighted to be bringing our award-winning service to Osaka, adding this highly sought after Japanese destination to our global network. Osaka is a very important destination, and our service to the cosmopolitan city will enable us to provide a seamless journey for our passengers connecting from our extensive network of more than 160 destinations worldwide.”
A return to Osaka
Qatar Airways has served Osaka before – the last time was in 2016. It seem that either enough fleet capacity, or that the economy can support a third gateway is enough to bring the middle eastern airline back to the area. In terms of competing traffic, Qatar will face off against fellow carrier Emirates who operate a service there too.
For passengers (and for those who wish to avoid Tokyo), a direct link to Central Japan will be welcome – especially for those who want to wander beyond the big metropolises.
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