Route Analysis: Qatar Airways adds Abuja

DOH-ABV

Qatar Airways is this month adding Abuja in Nigeria to its route network, which becomes the sixth new destination to be announced by the airline since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The oneworld alliance member will fly 3X-weekly to Abuja's Nnamdi Azikiwe International (ABV) from Doha’s Hamad International (DOH). Flights will operate via Nigeria’s largest city Lagos (LOS) from Nov. 27 on board Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, with 22 business class seats and 232 in economy.

“With the strong Nigerian diaspora in Europe, US and the UK, we are thrilled to now be flying to Abuja in addition to our existing Lagos flights which started back in 2007,” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said. “We look forward to working closely with our partners in Nigeria to steadily grow this route and support the recovery of tourism and trade in the region.”

Following the launch of the new service, Qatar Airways will operate more than 65 weekly flights to 20 destinations in Africa, including Accra, Cape Town, Durban, Entebbe, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Tunis.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, Qatar Airways’ Gulf rival Emirates Airline provided daily service to ABV from its Dubai (DXB) hub. Flights resumed in September, with OAG Schedules Analyser data showing the route is currently operating 3X-weekly. O&D traffic between the Middle East and Abuja totaled about 20,200 two-way passengers in 2019.

Photo credit: Qatar Airways