The local aviation sector is expected to flourish throughout the time of the World Cup with 1.5 million football enthusiasts expected to flock to the Gulf state in November.
Qatar Airways along with other Gulf airlines agreed on Thursday to launch match day shuttle flights between Doha and several regional cities throughout the FIFA World Cup 2022.
This came following the signing of a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the GCC carriers during a press conference in Doha.
“The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be the first in the Middle East and Arab world, and we have always believed that a win for Qatar is a win for the region,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker.
According to the Qatari airline, football fans within the region would not have to stay in Qatar to attend football matches as the daily flights will be taking place. There will also be a no check-in baggage policy to ease the travellers’ journey.
FlyDubai is going to operate 30 daily return flights between Dubai and Doha, as 24 rotating flights will take place between Doha and Muscat under Oman Air. Twenty Saudia return flights will take place in Riyadh and Jeddah, as 10 Kuwait Airways flights will rotate between Doha and Kuwait City.
“Not only does this agreement enhance the connectivity of our gulf nations, but also facilitates the social and economic growth emphasized by Kuwait’s government,” said Kuwait Airways Chairman, Captain Ali Dukhan.
Qatar Airways noted that it will be adding more match day shuttle flights across the GCC.
“Our combined bandwidth with Flydubai, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air and Saudia will create travel flexibility that will bridge cultures and give fans the chance to explore multiple places in the Middle-East,” added Al Baker.
Qatar Airways had launched travel packages in September last year that include match tickets, return flights, and accommodation options.
Local accommodation
The local aviation sector is expected to flourish throughout the time of the World Cup with 1.5 million football enthusiasts expected to flock to the Gulf state in November.
More than 800,000 tickets have already been sold for the global tournament in the first sales phase alone.
The latest partnership between the regional airlines comes amid concerns over a reported lack of accommodation in the host of the major sporting event.
The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), the local World Cup’s organising body, had said that available rooms for visitors will reach 130,000.
Some of the accommodations include hotel rooms, floating hotels, villas, apartments, as well as fan villages.
The Gulf state’s hotels are expected to add around 5,000 rooms before the sporting event, per a recent report by real estate consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield.
Meanwhile, the amount of hotel and serviced apartment rooms is set to expand to 45,000 ahead of the World Cup. Prices of some apartments do not exceed $80 a night as some rooms in luxury floating hotels can cost $180 nightly.
Speaking to SunSport last month, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 CEO Nasser Al-Khater said that the event will be “as affordable as possible for everyone.”
Qatar had also created an online accommodation platform that has some 80% of the hotel inventory for World Cup fans. Organisers have also set a $120 price cap on hotel room costs.