Qatar Airways to Increase Maldives Flights to Three Daily This Winter

Qatar Airways will increase flights between Doha and Malé from 12 to 21 services per week from 25 October 2026, significantly expanding air connectivity to the Maldives during the peak winter travel season.

The new schedule represents a 75 percent increase in weekly frequency and will see the airline operate three daily flights to Velana International Airport. The additional services are expected to offer travellers greater flexibility while strengthening connections between the Maldives and Qatar Airways’ wider network through Hamad International Airport.

The expansion comes as Qatar Airways prepares to grow its global network to more than 170 destinations during the 2026–2027 winter season. The airline plans to increase frequencies and resume services across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.

Asia-Pacific will receive several major service increases. Flights to Phuket will rise from 14 to 21 per week from 25 October, while Kuala Lumpur will be served by 18 weekly flights from the same date.

Services to Ho Chi Minh City will increase from seven to 11 flights per week beginning 7 November, supported by the return of four weekly nonstop flights between Doha and the Vietnamese city.

Qatar Airways will also resume daily services to Canberra via Melbourne on 9 December. Flights to Melbourne will double from seven to 14 per week, while partner airline Virgin Australia will expand services from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to Doha from December.

In Africa, the airline will resume daily flights to Zanzibar from 25 October. Services to Johannesburg will increase from 14 to 18 per week beginning 2 December, while flights to Seychelles will rise from four to seven per week from 1 March 2027.

The airline will also increase its Montréal service from five to seven weekly flights starting on 25 October, adding 40 percent more seat capacity on the route.

In Europe, flights between Doha and London Heathrow will increase from 49 to 56 per week from 25 October. British Airways will continue to supplement the route with a daily codeshare service. Qatar Airways will also increase Frankfurt flights from 18 to 21 per week from 7 December.

The carrier is expanding its Middle Eastern network as well, with services to four destinations in Saudi Arabia set to resume. Flights to Qassim will restart on 25 October, followed by Taif on 31 October, Yanbu on 2 January 2027 and Tabuk on 3 January. Each destination will be served twice weekly.

The additions will increase Qatar Airways’ Saudi Arabian network to 12 destinations and more than 155 weekly flights.

Qatar Airways said it expects to operate nearly 1,800 weekly flights across its global network in December 2026.

The airline is also expanding the installation of Starlink internet across its fleet. It said more than 150 wide-body aircraft have been equipped with the service, enabling up to 340 Starlink-connected flights to operate daily across six continents.

Bookings for the expanded winter schedule are available through the Qatar Airways website and mobile application.