Qatar Airways expands operations to Kano, Port Harcourt

Qatar Airways has expanded its operations in Nigeria with the launch of four weekly flights to Kano and three weekly flights to Port Harcourt (PHC).

This announcement was made on its official page. The flights are to commence from March 2, for the Kano routes and March 3, for the Port Harcourt route.

Kano and Port Harcourt will become the seventh and eighth new African gateways launched by Qatar Airways since the start of the pandemic. With the commencements of operations in both routes, the airline will be operating a total of 188 weekly flights to 28 destinations in Africa.

Mr Akbar Al Baker, the Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive said the Kano route is an opportunity to grow traffic. He said the new routes will bring about the remarkable growth potential for travel and trade in Nigeria.

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“The airline was one of the few to keep operating to many African destinations throughout the pandemic and, as restrictions are lifted, is continuing to expand its network on the continent. As home to the largest economy and population in the region, we see tremendous growth potential for travel and trade in Nigeria. It is a key market and an important part of our African growth strategy; the expansion of our presence across two new gateways is a testament to our continuous commitment to Nigeria,” Mr Al Baker said.

“We anticipate good reciprocal demand between Port Harcourt, UK, USA and destinations across Asia. For Kano we see the opportunity to grow traffic to and from markets such as KSA and India, as well as strong cargo prospects,” he added.

The airline, which is currently running two daily flights to Lagos and four times a week to Abuja, will now commence a daily service in March. The airline’s state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner will serve both routes with 22 seats in the Business Class and 232 in Economy Class.