In schedules filed to aviation analytics firm Cirium this week, Qatar Airways has removed several flights on its European routes including London Gatwick, Venice and Warsaw. The following changes are also reflected in the carrier’s booking systems.

Qatar Airways makes changes to its European operation

London Gatwick

London Gatwick will be reduced from double daily to 11x weekly, with a fully daytime service maintained on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Both flights use a Boeing 787-8.

The airline also operates to London Heathrow, with up to 10 daily flights. It uses a mix of Airbus A380, Boeing 777, Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A350-1000 equipment for those services.

Venice

For Venice, not only will the route see frequency reductions, but the carrier has also filed a reduction in capacity by replacing the Airbus A350 that was deployed on the route last summer with a much smaller A320.

Qatar faces competition on the route with Emirates’ daily Boeing 777 service to Dubai. Other operators to West Asia include El Al Israel and Wizz Air, both to Tel Aviv on narrowbody jets.

Warsaw

Finally, frequencies to Warsaw are also being reduced with its Airbus A330-300 operating to the city 12x weekly instead of double daily. The fully daytime flight will no longer be offered on Monday and Wednesday.

It is not immediately clear where the freed up capacity is being deployed, as the airline did not file any relevant increases this week.

Qatar Airways’ European network consolidation

Qatar Airways’ capacity to Europe contracted this year compared to 2025. The number of flights declined by about 1.8% while seat capacity is down 2.2%. The decreases are driven by the suspension of flights to Lyon, Venice and Hamburg. Flights to Trabzon, Sofia, Sarajevo and Belgrade are all also down by about 15-25%.

The number of flights on offer to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport declined by around 40% but was mitigated by larger aircraft deployment, resulting in only a 10% decrease in seat capacity.

The company has not introduced any new European destinations this year, but has consolidated growth to a select few destinations. This includes flights to Malta (+98%), Mykonos (+32%), Madrid (+22%) and Dublin (+20%).

Qatar Airways’ Middle Eastern rivals continue to grow

Etihad Airways and Emirates are both growing flights to Europe. Etihad has announced a wave of new routes in Europe, with new flights to Luxembourg, Palma de Mallorca, Krakow and Bucharest launching this year. Its expansion in Europe is in large part driven by its new Airbus A321neo equipment, allowing low-risk growth across thinner markets. Overall, the company’s flight numbers to Europe are up 24% compared to 2025.

Emirates, meanwhile, is leveraging its new Airbus A350 fleet to expand frequencies on certain routes and free up larger aircraft for longer range or higher-density routes. Its only new route this year in Europe is to Helsinki which will launch daily with an A350-900. The service launches in October 2026.

Qatar Airways clearly remains cautious when it comes to growth in Europe. Instead, flight numbers to South America and Africa have both grown considerably this year, reflecting rising demand for long-haul travel from both these continents.

Featured image: Qatar Airways

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