Qatar Airways to open new route to Saudi Arabia

Qatar Airways is expanding service into Saudi Arabia, opening an eighth route into the country that will fly direct from Doha to Abha.

The new route to Abha will begin Sept. 2 with four weekly flights between Abha, the capital of Saudi Arabia’s Asir province, and the Qatar Airways hub in Doha.

"We have been steadily growing our presence and services to Saudi Arabia," Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said. "As our eighth destination, Abha will bring additional flexibility for passengers connecting from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.”

Abha is a natural choice for Qatar Airways opening up a new route, as the city’s mountainous landscape and mild weather make it an increasingly popular tourist destination. Travelers flying from Abha to Doha will be able to connect there to other popular destination cities like London, Paris, Bangkok, Singapore, and New York.

Qatar Airways runs 82 weekly flights into Saudi Arabia, and those numbers will be bolstered by the four additional flights to Abha and two more scheduled into Gassim. The new route to Abha will be serviced by an Airbus A320 with an average travel time of about two hours. The aircraft features 144 seats – 12 in business class and 132 seats in economy.