Qatar Airways increases capacity in the Nordics - Japan stands out as the summer winner

From this week, Qatar Airways is flying daily from both Oslo and Stockholm, while Copenhagen will have ten departures a week.

The capacity increase comes as the airline continues to see strong demand for long-haul travel via its hub in Doha. According to Qatar Airways, load factors in Europe are increasing by between 3 and 5 per cent week by week. This is stated in a press release.

"Demand continues to strengthen in our European markets," the airline says.

The Nordic changes mean that:

Oslo is being resumed with seven departures a week.

• Stockholm is increasing from four to seven departures a week.

• Copenhagen is increasing from seven to ten departures a week.

Qatar Airways now serves 41 destinations in Europe after gradually resuming routes to, among others, Prague, Zagreb, Brussels, Lisbon, Budapest, Belgrade, Düsseldorf and Oslo.

At the same time, the company is seeing clear changes in travel patterns. Japan has emerged as one of the strongest leisure destinations from northern Europe. Sales to Japan increased by 70 per cent last week compared with the previous week. Denmark stands out in particular with an increase of 75 per cent.

At European level, sales to Japan increased by 63 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The development comes as Qatar Airways resumes flights to Tokyo Haneda on 15 July. From 1 August, the route will operate daily, strengthening the airline’s offering to the Japanese market.

Another clear trend is that travel is increasingly shifting from traditional VFR markets (visiting friends and relatives), such as India and Pakistan, to more premium-oriented leisure destinations. Australia, Thailand and Japan are among the markets showing the strongest growth.