Qatar Airways today commenced an additional daily flight to Thailand. The carrier began a third daily flight to the holiday island of Phuket starting today, February 1st. The extra flight will raise the number of nonstop connections between Qatar and Thailand to seven per day. The Phuket flights are supplemented by four daily Qatar Airways flights from Doha to Bangkok.

The oneworld carrier previously flew an additional leg from Phuket to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. The airline aims to capitalize on the connecting traffic from Thailand and to route incoming passengers through its hub at Doha's Hamad International Airport to destinations including London, Manchester, Frankfurt, Paris, and New York. Bennet Stephens, the Qatar Airways Regional Manager Indochina, highlighted the carrier's ongoing commitment to the Thai market:

“We are excited to expand our presence in Thailand with the introduction of these additional flights.

“This is a significant step towards our continued commitment to the Thai market, and we are proud to be serving our passengers with safety and great global connectivity. We look forward to welcoming even more travellers on board our flights.”

Qatar Airways Airbus A330
Photo: Qatar Airways

One of the flights will now carry on to Penang International Airport, the third largest airport in Malaysia, before returning to Doha via Phuket.

Seven daily flights to Thailand

The additional frequency to Phuket International Airport launched today, Febuary 1st, and continues into the summer schedule. The route is currently operated using the carrier's Airbus A330 aircraft. The airline presently flies both it's Airbus A330-200s and A330-300s on the route. The former seats 236 passengers in economy class and 24 in business class with lay-flat seats. The larger version seats 275 in economy and 30 in business class.

The flights are scheduled to gradually shift to being operated on the carrier's Boeing 787 Dreamliner product beginning next month, with the Airbus A330 appearing to be phased out of the schedule entirely by May. The transition comes as Qatar continues to battle Airbus over paint issues and would slightly increase capacity, with Qatar's Boeing 787-9 aircraft seating up to 311 passengers.

Flight Number

Doha Departure

Phuket Arrival

QR 840

02:15

12:45

QR 978

09:30

20:00

QR 842

21:15

07:45+1

Flight Number

Phuket Departure

Doha Arrival

QR 979

09:45

12:50

QR 843

20:50

23:55

QR 841

22:30

01:35+1

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The carrier will continue to offer four daily flights to Bangkok using a mix of its Boeing 787, Boeing 777, and Airbus A380 aircraft. Flight QR 842 was previously carried on from Phuket to Bangkok. It appears that the new daily service will replace the continuing flight.

Flight Number

Doha Departure

Bangkok Arrival

QR 834

01:45

12:05

QR 836

02:20

12:40

QR 832

08:05

18:25

QR 830

19:45

06:05+1

Flight Number

Bangkok Departure

Doha Arrival

QR 837

01:50

05:15

QR 831

08:05

11:30

QR 835

19:30

22:55

QR 833

20:25

23:50

Qatar Airways Airbus A380-861 A7-API (2) (1)
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Qatar Airways is not the only Middle Eastern carrier ramping up flights to Thailand in recent months. Emirates announced a fourth-daily service to Bangkok utilizing its double-decker Airbus A380s. The airline also flies to Phuket twice daily from Dubai. Fellow UAE carrier Etihad will add a second daily service to the Thai capital from Abu Dhabi, beginning in March, utilizing its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which also serve Phuket on a daily basis.

Source: Travel Daily Media