Qatar Airways has resumed its operations on the Osaka/Kansai to Doha route starting today, March 1.
The airline operates one round trip per day using the Airbus A350-900, which is configured with 36 business class seats and 247 economy class seats, totaling 283 seats. The flight duration is approximately 12 hours 5 minutes from Osaka/Kansai and 9 hours 20 minutes from Doha.
The inaugural flight QR802 from Doha departed at 1:17 AM and arrived in Osaka/Kansai at 4:04 PM. The return flight, QR803 from Osaka/Kansai, departed at 6:05 PM and is expected to arrive in Doha the following day at 0:01 AM.
Although the airline launched this route on March 31, 2005, it withdrew on March 31, 2016, as part of its network optimization. The resumption of operations had been planned for April 6, 2020, after approximately four years, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A ceremony was held at Kansai International Airport, attended by Qatar Airways’ Ryo Takahashi, General Manager of Sales for Japan, Cheon You Chang, General Manager of Sales for North Asia, Rasanta Wijitananda, Regional Manager for Network & Stations, François Staelski, Chief Commercial Officer at Kansai Airports, and Kazunori Katsuya, Director of the Kansai Airport Office of the Osaka Civil Aviation Bureau. The resumption of service was celebrated with a ribbon cutting and a performance by a traditional Japanese “Chindonya” band.
Qatar Airways, with its hub in Doha, extends its network to over 170 cities worldwide. From Japan, there is high demand for connections to Europe and Africa among others. While demand varies seasonally, the airline also aims to capture travel needs for study, MICE, and trips from the Kansai region to South America, such as Brazil. This marks the third airport in Japan that Qatar Airways operates from, following Tokyo/Haneda and Tokyo/Narita.
The Tokyo/Haneda to Doha route will be suspended on April 1, with the network maintained through a joint operation (codeshare) with Japan Airlines (JAL) that starts on March 31. Qatar Airways also has a codeshare agreement with JAL for routes connecting 34 cities within Japan.
Qatar Airways Holidays offers “Stopover Packages” in Doha, with choices ranging from four to five-star hotels, including beach hotels, and includes city or desert tours.
■Flight Schedule QR803 Osaka/Kansai (18:00) to Doha (00:05+1)／Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun QR803 Osaka/Kansai (18:30) to Doha (00:35+1)／Sat QR802 Doha (01:10) to Osaka/Kansai (16:30)／Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun QR802 Doha (01:40) to Osaka/Kansai (17:00)／Sat
