Europe’s on our doorstep: Qatar Airways daily flights from Canberra are coming back!
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Picture this: cobblestones in Prague at sunrise. A perfect espresso at a Parisian café. The kind of moment that makes you forget about work emails and whether you remembered to water the plants before you left.
For Canberrans, these moments have always been possible. But let’s be honest – they’ve rarely been easy.
That’s changing. Starting on 2 December, Qatar Airways will operate daily flights from Canberra Airport, connecting us to more than 170 destinations across Europe, the UK, Africa, and the Middle East via Doha. European holidays are about to feel less like work and more like, well, an actual holiday.
Oh, and FYI? The airline has won ‘World’s Best Airline’ at the Skytrax World Airline Awards nine times, most recently in 2025 So even getting there sounds like a treat.
What’s actually changing
Daily services via Melbourne to Doha’s Hamad International Airport create a direct pathway to Europe and beyond.
The return of Qatar Airways to Canberra is set to change how we connect to the world. Daily services via Melbourne to Doha’s Hamad International Airport create a direct pathway to Europe and beyond – no more treating Sydney as the mandatory first destination of every international trip.
For anyone who’s done the pre-dawn drive down the Federal Highway, or set an alarm for a 6 am Murray’s bus, the practical benefits are immediately apparent. That entire exhausting preamble to international travel? Gone. The daily service means flexibility in planning, while the Doha hub opens up a network spanning continents – from London to Munich, Athens to Edinburgh, and dozens of cities in between.
The flights will be operated by Boeing 777 aircraft featuring Qatar Airways’ award-winning Q-suite Business Class and complimentary Starlink Wi-Fi for all passengers. And the timing works beautifully for European winter travel, whether that means Christmas markets in Germany, skiing in the Alps, or simply swapping the summer heat for snow-dusted street.
Qatar Airways’ award-winning Q-suite Business Class.
Where this takes you
Quite literally, more than 170 destinations.
For those of us with friends or family scattered across Europe, the Middle East, or Africa, regular visits shift from “maybe next year” to something you can actually pencil in.
The European options are particularly tempting. Athens delivers ancient history with Mediterranean sunshine. Paris remains Paris – all romance and exceptional food. Munich blends traditional Bavarian charm with contemporary energy (and excellent beer gardens). Edinburgh brings Scottish history and festival culture. And London does what London does best – sprawling, energetic, endlessly interesting.
But here’s what really matters: it’s not just where you can go, but how much easier it is to actually get there.
Travel more, stress less
Canberra’s International Airport terminal takes the stress out of travel.
Right now, international travel from Canberra means the Sydney gauntlet – driving, busing, or flying there, then arriving three hours early to navigate a heaving international terminal. It’s exhausting before you’ve even started.
Departing from Canberra Airport is a completely different experience. Security takes minutes, not an hour. The terminal is manageable, not overwhelming. You can browse duty free and settle into the lounge without stress. What used to consume most of a day – that journey before the journey – now takes a couple of hours.
That’s time back in your holiday. Or simply time not spent mentally and physically spent before you’ve left Australia.
The Doha connection also opens up possibilities beyond the obvious destinations – secondary European cities that would have required multiple connections from Sydney, emerging travel spots across the Middle East and Africa, or a stopover in Doha itself.
Ready to book?
Whether you’re planning a European winter adventure, looking ahead to northern summer, or simply tired of the Sydney detour every time you want to travel internationally, it’s now going to be easier.
For frequent flyers, this is excellent news. Qatar Airways Privilege Club members, oneworld airline members (Qantas, British Airways, Cathay Pacific), and Velocity Frequent Flyer members can all earn points and status credits on these flights. Which surely means that every trip to Europe is also an investment in the next one.
Eligible passengers also get reciprocal lounge benefits – worth knowing if you’re the type who appreciates a proper airport lounge.
Europe isn’t just closer now. It’s actually, finally, just a flight away.
Flights are on sale now through qatarairways.com.
