Sydney, Nov 11: Qatar Airways will deepen its footprint in Saudi Arabia with a new route to Hail (HAS) and more flights to Jeddah (JED) and Riyadh (RUH), reinforcing what the airline calls its long-term commitment to the Kingdom.
Announced by Group CEO Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer during the TOURISE Summit 2025 in Riyadh, the expansion takes effect 5 January 2026.
From that date, the carrier will operate more than 150 weekly flights to 13 Saudi cities, linking travellers across the Kingdom to 170+ global destinations via its Doha hub at Hamad International Airport.
“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,” Al-Meer said, citing strong demand across business, leisure and religious travel.
What’s changing
The move follows a year of growth in Saudi Arabia for the airline, including the resumption of Abha services and the October launch to The Red Sea, making Qatar Airways the first international carrier to connect that destination with a global network of 170+ cities. Qatar Airways was named Skytrax World’s Best Airline 2025 (ninth win) and Hamad International Airport was recognised by Skytrax as Best Airport in the Middle East 2025 (11th consecutive year) and World’s Best Airport in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
What this means for Umrah travellers
For those planning to perform Umrah, the upgrade delivers more daily options and better connection times via Doha, especially into Jeddah—the main international gateway for Makkah—plus added frequency to Riyadh and the new access point at Hail.
Tip: If you’re flying for Umrah, look for itineraries arriving JED for the quickest ground transfer to Makkah, and consider returning from the city that best fits your plans—Qatar Airways’ expanded Saudi network gives more flexibility on the way out.
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