The carrier will reduce frequencies on its Doha – Belgrade service from seven to five weekly for the entire summer season, with no flights operating on Thursdays and Saturdays. Qatar Airways will continue to deploy its Airbus A320 aircraft on the route. In Zagreb, services will also be cut from seven to five weekly from the start of the summer timetable in late March until June 10, after which daily operations will be restored for the remainder of the season. During the affected period, there will be no departures on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Both routes are being affected by Qatar Airways’ ongoing shortage of narrow-body aircraft. The issue stems from the well-publicised dispute with Airbus, which resulted in the cancellation of the airline’s single-aisle jet deliveries. Although the matter has since been resolved and the order reinstated, aircraft arrivals have been pushed back. Qatar Airways has only recently started taking delivery of new A321neo aircraft, which are set to replace the current A320 fleet. However, the first units were originally produced for AirAsia and feature a high-density all-economy layout, limiting their deployment to select routes.

During the first ten months of the year, Qatar Airways maintained strong performance across its operations in the region. The Doha – Belgrade – Doha service recorded an average cabin load factor of 92%, while flights on the Doha – Zagreb – Doha route averaged 88% over the same period. Qatar Airways has removed around 100 European services from its schedules for April and May next year when compared to its initially filed scedhule. In addition to Belgrade and Zagreb, the adjustments affect a wide range of markets, including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Paris, Vienna, Oslo, Istanbul, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Warsaw, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Budapest, Sofia and Ankara.