(Posted 12th November 2025)
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, announced the expansion during his participation at the TOURISE Summit 2025 in Riyadh, highlighting the airline’s long-term commitment to the Saudi market
Effective 5 January 2026, the World’s Best Airline will serve 13 Saudi cities with more than 150 weekly flights and connect the Kingdom to over 170 destinations worldwide
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, has announced another expansion of the airline’s service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during his panel discussion, “Tourism Rising: A New Era of Influence and Impact”, at the TOURISE Summit 2025 in Riyadh.
From 5 January 2026, Qatar Airways will launch three weekly flights to Hail (HAS), making it the 13th Saudi city to be served by the airline. The World’s Best Airline, as voted by Skytrax in 2025 for the ninth time, will also increase flights to Jeddah (JED) and Riyadh (RUH) from six to seven daily flights.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “At Qatar Airways, we are proud to see our presence continually grow in both scale and significance across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our network now spans every major region of the Kingdom, and over the past 12 months, we have connected nearly 2.5 million passengers in the Kingdom to our global network. This a reflection of the level of trust travellers in Saudi Arabia place in our airline and the excellence of our services across the Saudi market.”
This strategic expansion reinforces Qatar Airways’ continued growth and long-term commitment to the Saudi market, reflecting the airline’s focus on enhancing regional connectivity to meet strong passenger demand across business, leisure, and religious travel segments.
Qatar Airways flights to Hail International Airport (HAS)
Departing every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday:
- Doha (DOH) to Hail International Airport (HAS) – Flight QR1228: Departure 14:20; Arrival 16:30
- Hail International Airport (HAS) to Doha (DOH) – Flight QR1229: Departure 17:30; Arrival 19:25
This development follows a strong year of operational growth for Qatar Airways in Saudi Arabia including the resumption of flights to Abha earlier this year, and the launch of services to The Red Sea in October, making the airline the first international carrier to connect The Red Sea to over 170 global destinations.
With Qatar Airways’ new route to Hail, the airline’s footprint in the Kingdom will expand to 13 destinations served with more than 150 weekly flights, providing travellers across Saudi Arabia with convenient access to over 170 global destinations through the airline’s Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, recognised by Skytrax as the Best Airport in the Middle East in 2025 for the 11th consecutive year, and World’s Best Airport in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club members can make their trips more rewarding by collecting Avios on their flights as well as shopping and dining at Qatar Duty Free at Hamad International Airport. Members can spend their Avios on travel and lifestyle rewards of their choice including bidding on money-can’t-buy experiences with Privilege Club Collection.
Qatar Airways, a benchmark for excellence in the industry, remains a prominent leader in global connectivity and operates to over 170 destinations worldwide. Bookings can be made at: qatarairways.com or through the airline’s mobile application.
