Qatar Airways Announces the Start of Service to Kano and Port Harcourt in Nigeria

 11 January 2022

The World’s Best Airline continues to expand its West African network, offering seamless connectivity via the Best Airport in the Middle East to destinations in Asia, Europe and North America 

Airline strengthens its commitment to Nigeria, now connecting to four gateways via its international hub in Doha 

Doha, Qatar – Qatar Airways is boosting its service to Nigeria with the launch of four weekly flights to Kano (KAN) on 02 March 2022, and three weekly flights to Port Harcourt (PHC) on 03 March 2022, both operating via the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

The airline currently operates two daily flights to Lagos and four times a week to Abuja, which will expand to a daily service in March. Kano and Port Harcourt will become the seventh and eight new African gateways launched by Qatar Airways since the start of the pandemic. Both routes will be served by the state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner, featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 in Economy Class.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “The airline was one of the few to keep operating to many African destinations throughout the pandemic and, as restrictions are lifted, is continuing to expand its network on the continent. As home to the largest economy and population in the region, we see tremendous growth potential for travel and trade in Nigeria. It is a key market and an important part of our African growth strategy; the expansion of our presence across two new gateways is a testament to our continuous commitment to Nigeria.

“We anticipate good reciprocal demand between Port Harcourt, UK, USA and destinations across Asia. For Kano we see the opportunity to grow traffic to and from markets such as KSA and India, as well as strong cargo prospects.”

As travel restrictions ease, Qatar Airways is restoring its services to all its African destinations. When Kano and Port Harcourt flights start operating, the airline will provide 188 weekly flights to 28 destinations in Africa. Qatar Airways African customers will also benefit from generous baggage allowances, which provide for up to 46kg in Economy Class split over two pieces and 64kg split over two pieces in Business Class.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was recently announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2021 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’. The airline continues to stand alone at the top of the industry having won the main prize for an unprecedented sixth time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021).

Qatar Airways has also become the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by Skytrax. This follows the success of Hamad International Airport (HIA) as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating. These awards provide assurance to passengers across the world that the airline’s health and safety measures are subject to the highest possible standards of professional, independent scrutiny and assessment. For full details of all the measures that have been implemented on board and at HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety.

Flight schedule (all times local):

Kano (KAN) – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday

Doha (DOH) to Abuja (ABV) QR1431 departs: 01:45 arrives: 07:20

Abuja (ABV) to Kano (KAN) QR1431 departs: 08:50 arrives: 09:50

Kano (KAN) to Abuja (ABV) QR1432 departs: 18:35 arrives 19:35

Abuja (ABV) to Doha (DOH) QR1432 departs: 21:05 arrives 05:15 (+1)

Port Harcourt (PHC) – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

Doha (DOH) to Abuja (ABV) QR1433 departs: 01:45 arrives: 07:20

Abuja (ABV) to Port Harcourt (PHC) QR1433 departs: 08:50 arrives: 10:00

Port Harcourt (PHC) to Abuja (ABV)) QR1434 departs: 18:25 arrives 19:35

Abuja (ABV) to Doha (DOH) QR1434 departs: 21:05 arrives 05:15 (+1)