More news on this day
Doha’s air links with Saudi Arabia are set for another boost as Qatar Airways restores routes to Qassim, Taif, Yanbu and Tabuk, underscoring how rapidly travel demand is rebounding across the kingdom and reinforcing Hamad International Airport’s role as a regional gateway.
Get the latest news straight to your inbox!
Winter timetable brings four Saudi gateways back online
Publicly available information shows that Qatar Airways will resume flights from Doha to Qassim, Taif, Yanbu and Tabuk during the upcoming winter season, adding more options for passengers traveling between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The airline has outlined a staggered restart, beginning with Qassim on 25 October 2026, followed by Taif on 31 October, Yanbu on 2 January 2027 and Tabuk on 3 January 2027.
Each of the four routes will initially be served twice weekly, according to published schedules. While modest in frequency, the resumptions increase the number of Saudi gateways linked directly to Doha and push the carrier’s weekly flights to the kingdom to more than 155, representing an increase of over 10 percent compared to the previous summer season.
The move builds on earlier expansion steps in Saudi Arabia, including Qatar Airways’ launch and relaunch of services to AlUla, Tabuk and Yanbu and the resumption of flights to Abha that took effect from early January 2025. Together, these developments reflect a steady rebuilding of the airline’s Saudi network after previous disruptions and capacity adjustments.
For Hamad International Airport, recently recognised by Skytrax as the World’s Best Airport and Best Airport in the Middle East for 2024, the additional Saudi flights further consolidate its position as a key transfer hub for regional and long-haul traffic.
Qassim and Taif routes highlight central and western Saudi demand
The restored Doha to Qassim service will again link Hamad International Airport with Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport, the main aviation gateway for the central Qassim region. Earlier Qatar Airways schedules already included Qassim among its Saudi destinations, and independent route trackers show that the carrier has periodically adjusted frequencies in line with demand.
Qassim has also been the focus of wider aviation growth. Low cost carrier flynas recently announced that Al Qassim would become its sixth operations base in Saudi Arabia, with new services from Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport to domestic and international destinations such as Istanbul, Trabzon and Cairo. This parallel investment in Qassim by multiple airlines points to rising traffic from the region as population and economic activity expand.
On the western side of the kingdom, the Doha to Taif route taps into strong flows related to religious travel and leisure. Taif, located in the mountains east of Makkah, has long attracted visitors for its cooler climate and proximity to the holy cities. Qatar Airways has previously operated flights to Taif, and the decision to bring back the route underlines the continued appeal of convenient one-stop connectivity via Doha to Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Industry data also indicate that Taif and Qassim are part of a broader trend of secondary Saudi cities gaining more international links, as authorities in the kingdom pursue an ambitious tourism growth agenda that aims to draw tens of millions of visitors annually over the coming decade.
Connecting Saudi tourism hotspots via Doha’s global network
With the resumption of services to Qassim, Taif, Yanbu and Tabuk, Qatar Airways’ Saudi portfolio will span more than a dozen destinations, including Abha, AlUla, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, NEOM and the Red Sea’s new coastal developments. According to airline and aviation authority releases, this network is designed to channel travelers from over 160 global destinations through Doha onto Saudi routes.
Yanbu and Tabuk in particular play an important role in connecting emerging tourism zones along the Red Sea coast and in the northwest of the kingdom. Yanbu provides access to beach resorts and diving areas on the Red Sea, while Tabuk serves as a gateway to NEOM and other large-scale development projects in the region.
For international travelers, the expanded Doha Saudi network offers additional one-stop options that may not be available via other hubs, especially when flying from secondary European, Asian or African cities. For Saudi residents, the routes provide more choice for outbound travel, with competitive connection times and the ability to reach destinations from Southeast Asia to North America through a single transfer at Hamad International Airport.
The timing of the resumptions, beginning in late October and early January, aligns with both the winter travel season and the planned scaling up of tourism projects in different parts of Saudi Arabia, suggesting that airlines are positioning capacity ahead of expected visitor growth.
Competitive landscape heats up across Gulf and Saudi markets
The Doha to Qassim and Taif developments are part of a broader competitive shift in Gulf and Saudi aviation. Other regional carriers have also announced or launched new services into Saudi secondary cities, including new Abu Dhabi to Al Qassim flights, as airlines target both religious traffic and a rising segment of leisure and business travelers exploring destinations beyond Riyadh and Jeddah.
Saudi low cost operator flynas, for example, has been adding routes and bases across the kingdom, supported by airport investments and incentives designed to stimulate connectivity. The establishment of Al Qassim as a full operations base, with international services from day one, underlines how central and northern regions are increasingly being integrated into global flight networks rather than relying solely on the main gateways.
For passengers, the result is a growing range of choices when planning itineraries between Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the wider world. Multiple airlines now offer overlapping city pairs, and competitive pressure is encouraging carriers to refine schedules, aircraft deployment and onboard products, even on shorter regional sectors.
Analysts note that this competition is likely to intensify as Saudi Arabia advances its Vision 2030 economic diversification plans and as Gulf hubs continue to leverage their geographic position between East and West. The resumed Doha to Qassim and Taif flights are a visible example of how that contest is playing out in the skies over the Arabian Peninsula.
Implications for Hamad International Airport and future growth
The additional Saudi services feed into Hamad International Airport’s broader growth trajectory. Recent passenger figures place the Doha hub among the busiest airports in the Middle East, and independent rankings highlight its facilities and transfer experience as differentiating factors in the hub competition.
More point to point and connecting traffic from Qassim, Taif, Yanbu and Tabuk is expected to support further utilisation of Hamad International’s expanded terminal capacity. For Qatar’s tourism ambitions, the extra flights also make it easier for Saudi residents to visit Doha for short breaks, events and shopping trips, reinforcing people to people links between the two neighboring states.
Looking ahead, network updates and seasonal adjustments remain common as airlines respond to demand patterns, regulatory changes and new tourism infrastructure coming online. Observers will be watching whether the twice weekly schedules to Qassim, Taif, Yanbu and Tabuk are increased in line with passenger uptake, and how these routes integrate with future services to destinations such as NEOM and additional Red Sea resorts.
What is clear from the latest schedules is that Doha’s connectivity to Saudi Arabia’s heartland and coastal regions is expanding in a deliberate, phased manner, positioning the Qatari capital as an important transit and destination hub for travelers moving in and out of the kingdom.
Qatar Airways – Resumes flights to Qassim, Taif, Tabuk and Yanbu
Qatar Civil Aviation Authority – Qatar Airways Saudi gateways update