A Gulf Airline Is About to Fly Somewhere No Gulf Airline Has Gone

Qatar Airways has announced a new twice-weekly route that links Doha with Bogotá and Caracas, and with it the airline will become the first carrier from the Gulf to serve Venezuela. The flights are scheduled on Wednesdays and Sundays, and the routing means the Venezuelan capital is reached as a continuation of the Colombian service rather than as a standalone nonstop from Doha.

The airline plans to use a Boeing 777-200LR on the service. That aircraft is one of the longest-range twin-engine jets ever built, which suits a route that crosses the Atlantic and keeps going into northern South America. For Qatar it is another step in the steady push into Latin America, where the carrier has been building connections for several years and now offers a growing list of cities beyond the usual Brazil and Argentina gateways.

The announcement came alongside a wider expansion of Qatar’s partnership with LATAM. Under the broadened arrangement the two airlines will offer codeshares on LATAM Colombia’s domestic flights, which should give travelers from the Gulf and beyond a simpler way to reach Colombian cities other than Bogotá on a single ticket.

For travelers, the practical effect is a new one-stop path between the Middle East, South Asia and Venezuela that did not exist before, along with extra Colombia options. As always with newly announced routes, schedules and start dates can shift, so anyone planning around the flights should confirm details with the airline before booking.

Sources: Aviation Week