There are just over two months to go until World Cup 2022 begins in Qatar. To accommodate the higher demand, Doha will have far more flights than normal, while particular routes will see aircraft upgauged.
On November 25th, for example, Doha will have 333 departures - the highest number to date - up by 28% over the start of the month. But the real standout is Dubai, 235 miles (378km) away over the Arabian or Persian Gulf: daily flights will grow from six to 48.
On a typical day, Dubai has six daily flights to Doha; market still hasn't recovered from the Qatar blockade that ceased in early 2021. They're only available from Dubai International, with none from Dubai World Central. Flights are split equally: three daily by flydubai and three by Qatar Airways.
That changes in November and December for the World Cup. Between November 21st and December 18th, there will be between 16 and 48 daily, according to the latest information from Cirium. It is seemingly to help overcome a shortage of hotel beds in Qatar.
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Forty-eight daily will run on 10 occasions from November 22nd to December 2nd, as shown in the figure above. They'll still involve only flydubai (up to 33 daily) and Qatar Airways (up to 15). Dubai International will remain at six daily, but Dubai World Central - with far more available capacity - will have up to 42 from both operators.
While the B737 MAX 8 will overwhelmingly dominate, the A330-300, B777-200LR, A330-200, B787-8, B777-300ER, and B787-9 will also be deployed at times.
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On November 22nd, for example, the following is scheduled, organized by departure time from the UAE. Note that things may change, but this is the picture as of September 6th. It'll be a real shuttle, with up to four flights per hour.
What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments.