Virgin Australia has started its fourth and final route to Doha. On December 1, it took off from Melbourne to the Middle East, beginning in time for the summer Down Under and Christmas and the New Year. It joins Virgin’s flights from Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney to the Gulf hub, all of which started in June.
Many country pairs still have bilateral air service agreements, which dictate the extent and nature of market access. Qatar and Australia are no exception. As Qatar Airways has used half of its traffic rights, its ability to expand was greatly minimized. As such, it is using Virgin—and the previously unused Australian half of the rights—to increase its presence. And because Virgin no longer has its own widebodies, it is using the Gulf operator’s Boeing 777-300ERs and crew. It is increasing market access through the back door.
Virgin From Melbourne To Doha
Credit: Flightradar24
The long route from Melbourne covers 6,453 nautical miles (11,951 km) each way. With a block time of up to 14h 15m, it is far from being on Australia’s top ten longest flights list. Virgin serves the market daily on the two-class, 354-seat 777-300ER. The airline’s schedule shows that flights arrive in Doha shortly before midnight. It supplements Qatar Airways’ service around then, which doubles capacity to feed onward services to Europe and the Middle East.
According to Flightradar24, Virgin’s first departure deployed A7-BEK, which ch-aviation shows is an 8.4-year-old frame. Echo Kilo was positioned from Doha to Melbourne via Bangkok, touching down in Victoria on the morning of December 1. However, the specific frame will vary daily.
Of course, Qatar Airways was not keen to expand its Australian footprint for its own sake. It was to become a bigger, stronger, and more competitive force, including with Emirates. Qatar Airways and Virgin have triple daily flights between Doha and Melbourne. Not coincidentally, Emirates has three daily nonstop services from Dubai to Melbourne.
Airline
Frequency
Melbourne To Doha; Local Times*
Airline
Frequency
Doha To Melbourne; Local Times**
Qatar Airways
Daily
4:10 pm-10:25 pm (14h 15m); 777-300ER
Virgin
Daily
1:50 am-11:20 pm (13h 30m); 777-300ER
Virgin
Daily
5:10 pm-11:25 pm (14h 15m); 777-300ER^
Qatar Airways
Daily
8:15 am-5:45 am+1 (13h 30m); 777-300ER
Qatar Airways
Daily
11:40 pm-5:55 am+1 (14h 15m); 777-300ER
Qatar Airways
Daily
8:20 pm-5:50 pm+1 (13h 30m); 777-300ER
* In December. Shown in Simple Flying’s new time format
^ The aircraft remains in Melbourne between its 11:20 pm arrival and its 5:10 pm departure the next day
** In December. Shown in Simple Flying’s new time format
Qatar Airways & Virgin Have Triple Daily Melbourne Service
Credit: Melbourne Airport
The table shows how flights are coordinated for connectivity over Doha. Notice Virgin’s schedule, with flights departing from the Gulf hub at 1:50 am. It is timed like this so that Qatar Airways’s large number of arriving flights from across Europe and the Middle East, which touch down around midnight, can connect seamlessly to Melbourne.
Until November, Qatar Airways itself had flights that left at a very similar time. However, as that time is now in Virgin’s hands, Qatar Airways decided on a new schedule. One of the carrier’s daily services now departs from Doha at 8:15 am. It is only the second time in history that Melbourne-bound flights have left Doha around then.
Departing Doha at 8:15 am enables the carrier to capture additional market share from Europe and the Middle East. However, only a handful of European flights arrive around then, although they do include the biggie market, London Heathrow, along with other major cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, Madrid, Manchester, and Rome. Middle Eastern arrivals include Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Dubai, Jeddah, and Tehran, which are well-trafficked markets to Melbourne.
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Qatar Airways Has Returned To Australia’s Capital
Credit: Shutterstock
Let’s focus on the 8:15 am departure from Doha. This service is extended to Canberra, with that city previously seeing Qatar Airways’ frames in 2020, when flights were operated via Sydney.
The airline’s first departure to Canberra in 2025 took place on December 1, which coincided with the new triple daily combined offering to Melbourne. After landing in Victoria at 5:45 am, QR988 departs for Canberra at 7:15 am, arriving at 8:20 am local time. QR989 then leaves from the nation’s capital at 12:30 pm, arriving in Melbourne at 1:45 pm local time. The flight then leaves for Doha at 4:10 pm.
The extension to Canberra replaces Adelaide, which was flown until November 30. This oddity is for regulatory reasons. Qatar Airways does not want to serve Canberra. Instead, the oneworld member could only increase flights to major Australian cities (in this case, Melbourne) if it continued to a smaller city (in this case, Canberra). The tag-on means it can itself serve Melbourne twice daily. If it did not have the tag-on, it’d be limited to a far less competitive daily offering.
