Qatar Airways will continue its Australian expansion, but Sydney is not part of the plans, the airline has confirmed.
Chief executive Akbar Al Baker insisted a service between Doha and the New South Wales capital had never been on the cards, despite long term speculation.
“We never planned to fly to Sydney,” he told a press conference at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. “The city is already very well served by Middle Eastern carriers. We will not request additional capacity for a route that is already sufficiently served.”
In addition, the airport’s curfew made it unappealing, with Al Baker unwilling to have planes sit on the tarmac overnight.
But he insisted Australian expansion remained on the agenda and confirmed the airline was considering other ports. He declined to disclose further details.
“There will be further Australian routes,” he promised. “We will ask for bilaterals because we have already consumed what allowance we have, but it won’t be to Sydney.”
The carrier exhausted its Australian seat allocation with its forthcoming Perth service, set to take to the skies three times weekly from July 3, rising to daily in December.
It reported “excellent” sales for the new route.
