Mumbai30 Nov 23 1 Traveller Economy
Showing International Flight from Doha
About Doha
Qatar's capital, Doha, is one of the most famous and populated cities in the Middle East. It is nestled along the coast of the Persian Gulf and has brilliant connectivity with several international cities in the world.
Best time to visit Doha
Desert nations often enjoy exquisite winters making them the peak months for tourism. Doha too enjoys the brisk winter winds as it hosts various fun events. December to January is considered the ideal months for a travel pursuit to Doha. The weather is a beautiful amalgam of warm and cold. As a desert, the winter days are pleasant while the nights are cold in Doha. It is certainly inviting as the luxurious setting of the city with expanses of scintillating brown sand would make anyone happy. So much that the hotel prices skyrocket during these months. It would be extremely difficult to find a cheap snazzy hotel in Doha during winter. Unless you make prior hotel bookings in Doha, you might not be able to find the ideal accommodation. The same goes for flights as well, so best would be to book them months in advance.
Winter might be peak season but so is fall in Doha. September through November is actually ideal weather as the city transitions from hot to cold. The experience during the fall in Doha is exquisite. What makes this very convenient is how tourism doesn't reach its peak in these months. You will be able to enjoy the pleasant weather, and at the same time, you wouldn't even have to splurge massively. Prior hotel bookings in Doha always come in handy as it would help you save more to spend in the city. Besides, the flight and hotel deals in Doha ahead of winter are aplenty. You will find many flight deals to Doha online with some room for accommodation combos too. As long as you spend enough time to find the right deal with an exquisite hotel room, your Doha trip would be a good one. Note though that many tourists start planning for a fall vacation in Doha thanks to the climate and the possibility of getting cheaper rates in Doha.
Places to visit in Doha
Doha's popularity doesn't just come with its Middle East heritage but also fancy locales and tourist attractions. To get the feel of Qatari heritage, you should start your tourist endeavours from the Museum of Islamic Art. It is an architectural delight and definitely worth the pursuit. You will be amazed by the exquisite location with its tree-covered facade. Doha Corniche is the second most important tourist attraction of Doha. The location is basically a waterfront which has a fascinating promenade forming the Doha Bay. The Corniche often sees a lot of events and festivities as being an important hub of the city of Doha. You can also make a day plan to visit Doha's artificial island, The Pearl-Qatar. It spans across four kilometres, the island is still under work as the officials wish to stretch the coastline to 32 kilometres. The National Museum of Qatar is located within the city premise and would take you through the history and cultural train of Doha and Qatar. Speaking of history, the AlKoot Fort would definitely catch your fancy as a military fortress that was built in 1927.
You can add Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in your list of places to visit in Doha. The gorgeous infrastructure has been built with modern and contemporary influences of art and creativity. The complex has been recently created and has already managed to rake in a lot of attention and the position of one of Doha's famous attractions. Aspire Park is another interesting place that you can check out. It is located in the southern district of Baaya in the city of Doha. Covering over 88 hectares of land, it is recognised as Doha's largest parks, featuring lovely fountains, green expanses and the view of the Aspire Tower.
Things to do in Doha
The city of Doha has quite a few things that you can indulge in when you visit the place. Some of the tourist attractions are aesthetically pleasing. To make your trip a little lavish, you can head to the Racing & Equestrian Club to check out and bet on horses. Since horse racing is one of the legal gambling scenes in the world, you will be able to get an idea of high-end living. You can also visit the Al Wakrah Public Garden and relish the exquisite spread of colourful flowers and green landscapes that the park boasts. It also has a waterfront, which only adds to the garden's beauty. Oxygen Park is another green spread where you can enjoy some fresh air and lovely vibe of the place. Nightclub hopping is one activity you can take up when you're in the city. Meanwhile, shopping is another fun activity that you will want to do because the city flaunts its Dior and Gucci showrooms like it flaunts the lovely waterfront.
Food and Restaurants in Doha
Doha's diversity in terms of food culture comes from its accommodation of international cuisine. The place has a plethora of international food establishments to cater to the foreign tourists that visit the city on a regular basis. However, while you do indulge in the lovely global cuisine, do not miss out the classic and Qatari food that can be found in Doha. Qatari food is recognised for its exquisite home-cooked styled stews and impeccable delicacies. Much of the Qatari food is heavily influenced by North Africa, Levant, Bedouin and flavours from the Indian subcontinent. Dishes such as Saloona, Warak enab, balaleet, majboos, to name a few, are from the authentic Qatari kitchen. They would certainly leave quite an impact on you. You can find the best of these dishes at food establishments such as Al Jasra, Walima, Al Manchab, Easair Cafe, Shisha Garden and Chai Halib.
While you're indulging in their meals, do not miss their ubiquitous savouries with luqaimat taking the cake. It is a traditional sweet dumpling that is stuffed with flavours of saffron and cardamom and is drenched in sugar syrup. Umm Ali is also a fancy dessert that you should check out when in Doha. Some of the Indian influences in their Qatari dishes include the famous rogag. It is a thin layer of batter, inspired by dosa, filled with minced meat, vegetables or egg. The dish is traditionally consumed as a breakfast item. Shay Al Shoomos in Souq Waqif serves the best rogags, you should probably write down this name in your list of culinary expeditions in Doha. Another interesting savoury by the Qatari cuisine is the kunafa, quite famous in the Middle East belt. To experience the best of Doha's culinary delights, the ideal thing to do would be to check out the Al Souq Street in the city. They are literally swamped with exquisite food joints and establishments.
How to reach Doha (Transportation)
Flight connectivity to Doha from India is excellent and very regular. The city in Qatar has a massive demand in the city with many tourists flocking over on a daily basis. Hence, the number of flights are also excessive, not to mention the connectivity and convenient duration. There are a plethora of direct flights to Doha from India. In fact, many airports have been specifically constructed in India to cater to the demand for Doha and other Middle-Eastern countries. Airlines such as IndiGo, Srilankan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Oman Air, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, to name a few, have daily flights to Doha. Even though there are many direct nonstop flights to Doha from India, many often take the international route to Doha from Muscat or Dubai. The flight duration to Doha from India is also quite decent as it takes about three hours to reach the city. This depends on the flight and airlines that you choose. Although the time duration is perfect since it leaves a lot of time in hand to explore the city, it comes with a price.
Flight tickets to Doha range from cheap and affordable to expensive. A majority of how much you spend on booking flight tickets to Doha depends on the airlines you pick and the flight duration. For cheap and inexpensive flight tickets to Doha, you will get them in the range of INR 17,000. However, you will end up spending about nine hours travelling. By adding an extra INR 1000 to the ticket expenditure, you will not just save up on flight duration to Doha but also receive better flight services. Booking flight tickets to Doha come with a plethora of online deals. You might be able to make the most of travel discounts by booking flights and hotels in Doha. Depending on the season, the hotel prices in Doha might vary and hence, to acquire cheap and affordable deals, you should make prior bookings. Interestingly, while Doha is easy and convenient to reach from India, many opt to drive down to Doha from Bahrain as the long stretch of highways in the Middle East are perfect for petrolheads to go on a driving excursion.
About Kuwait Airways
Kuwait Airways is the national flag carrier of Kuwait and has its headquarters on the grounds of the Kuwait International Airport, located in Al Farwaniyah Governorate. The airline operates varied international routes across the Middle East as well as caters to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Europe and North America. The airline has its base at Kuwait International Airport. It is also a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation, a non-political and non-profit organisation that accommodates about 30 constituent airlines with members from around 18 countries. Kuwait Airways was founded by a group of businessmen in 1953 and was named Kuwait National Airways. In the initial days of the airline's commencement, the Kuwait government took a 50 per cent share in the airline. The same year, the airline struck a five-year management deal with British International Airlines, a British Overseas Airways Corporation subsidiary located in Kuwait. The management corporation basically handled all the flights along with the maintenance services for Kuwait Airways.
The airline purchased two Dakotas to join its fleet the same year which carried 8,966 passengers in total, in its first year of operations. In 1955, the airline dropped 'national' from its name and adopted Kuwait Airways as the official name for the airline. They also signed a new contract where operations and management handlings were directly taken up by BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation). In 1962, Kuwait Airways ordered two Trident type-aircraft, becoming the manufacturer's first customer. The airline continued to acquire more aircraft to join its fleet as they placed orders for a Comet 4C and three BAC One-Elevens. The following year, they received their first Comet and the airline added one more order for the same aircraft. In the same year, the Kuwait government expressed interest in the airline and increased its participation by 100 per cent in Kuwait Airways. In 1964, the airline chartered a new international route and added its first European destination as a flight to London was inaugurated with Comet. They extended their Middle East reach too by operating in cities such as Beirut, Doha, Bahrain, Adaban, Bombay, Geneva, Karachi, Paris, Frankfurt, Cairo and Dhahran.
By 1980, the airline acquired about 5,400 employees while its fleet expansion included new Boeing aircraft such as Boeing 707-320Cs, Boeing 747-200Bs, Boeing 727-200s and Boeing 737-200. In the mid-1980s though, Kuwait Airways started acquiring Airbus A310-200s to its place to replace the Boeing 707s on the international routes of Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The city of Kuwait witnessed significant demand from the India market which resulted in the formation of Jet Airways, where both Kuwait Airways and Gulf Air held 20 percent of equity stakes each. However, due to some changes in the Indian law to allow foreign carriers to hold stakes in the domestic airlines, Kuwait Airways sold their 20 per cent shares to the chairman of Jet Airways, Naresh Goyal. In 2015, after a hiatus of nearly 17 years, Kuwait Airways resumed the flight operations to Munich in Germany. They further resumed flights to Istanbul-Atatürk as well after a three-year break. In the same year, Kuwait Airways made an addition of a new Indian destination, Bangalore, to be part of its list of top cities.
Kuwait Airways currently holds several subsidiaries that are undergoing privatisation processes. These include Kuwait Aviation Services Co., Automated Systems Co., ALAFCO. Some of the alliances that the airlines associated with during the 1990 War are now defunct. These include Shorouk Air and Jet Airways.
Fleet size of Kuwait Airways
As of 2020, Kuwait Airways' fleet size stands at 31 aircraft that are all variants from the Airbus family with 10 Boeing 777-300ERs. In 2013, Kuwait Airways boasted one of the oldest fleets across the Middle East, which averaged 20 years. The same year, they also commenced a maintenance facility to ensure the conditions of their fleet and keep a check on its maintenance requirements. Kuwait Airways also signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to acquire around 15 A320neos and ten A350-900s to join the fleet. The deliveries of the mentioned aircraft would be made between 2019 to 2022. Meanwhile, they leased seven A320s and five A330-200s from Airbus, while awaiting their newer aircraft.
Kuwait Airways also expressed its intention to purchase ten Boeing 777-300ERs, which they made known in 2014. They went ahead and even placed an order for the same at a whopping cost of USD 3.3 billion. The deliveries of the same were received by 2016. In 2014, adding more panache to its fleet, the airline received delivery of its first Airbus A320, which catered to their fleet expansion and upgradation plan. With Kuwait Airways' rebranding in 2016, the airline also received its first Boeing 777-300ER, marking the arrival of the airline's first fully owned brand new aircraft after 20 years of using the old fleet.
Baggage Allowance
Kuwait Airways follows the global standard of baggage allowance for passengers travelling by the business class and economy class cabins. The baggage allowance on Kuwait Airways majorly depends on the cabin class and nothing else. Passengers travelling by the premium classes such as royal or business receive a free checked baggage quantity of three pieces with a weight that can go up to 32 kg per bag. Meanwhile, the maximum dimension of the bags should not exceed more than 300 cm in total. As for the travellers travelling by the economy class, the airline allows two pieces of free baggage with a weight that cannot exceed 23 kg each. The maximum dimension for bags should not exceed more than 158 cm. Additionally, Kuwait Airways does allow carry-on baggage which differs depending on the cabin class of the passenger. In case the weight of the baggage exceeds the weight specified by the airline's protocols, extra baggage might have to be purchased. Similarly, the airline also expects the passengers to adhere to the baggage rules as they are essential.
In-flight services
Kuwait Airways promotes world-class facilities and in-flight services that attract passengers. As an airline with a fleet that accommodates many wide-body aircraft that are well-equipped with the latest upgrades, it easily manages to provide the best hospitality onboard. Passengers can rest assured that the journey would be an experience of a lifetime as the in-flight services teamed with their exquisite in-flight meals and entertainment systems are all luxurious. The airline is one of the handfuls in the world to not accommodate alcohol and pork onboard, following religious practices.
Popular routes and top cities for Kuwait Airways
As of 2020, Kuwait Airways has managed to make a name for itself with its illustrious international route and domestic route connectivity. The airline caters to about 51 international cities spread across Asia, Europe, North American and Africa, from its hub airport in Kuwait City. Some of the top cities for Kuwait Airways include Abu Dhabi, Alexandria, Bangkok, Bodrum, Cairo, Colombo, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, Jeddah, Kuwait City, London, Manila, Medina, Milan, Munich, Muscat, Paris, Rome, Tehran and Varna. The city of Kuwait has also witnessed tremendous demand and passenger traffic from many Indian cities. Hence, to cater to the same, the airline has also extended its support to accommodating better connectivity in India by flying to a bunch of cities and not just the capital. Some of the top Indian cities that have impeccable connectivity of Kuwait Airways are Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Further, they plan to expand the reach and enhance their presence in more Indian cities.
Why travel by Kuwait Airways?
Kuwait Airways' Oasis Club is an interesting frequent flyers miles program. Known to be one of the best airlines in the Middle East, the services provided by the airline to cater to the upscale lifestyle of many passengers is a responsibility taken up by the airline. Hence, their Oasis Club's benefits are majorly towards adding more flyer miles to the customer's kitty. Interestingly, the airline enables partnerships with many top hotels in the country where the customer can either earn or splurge the miles accumulated. Thorough details regarding Oasis Club can be found on Kuwait Airways' website. Speaking of which, the airline's website is the perfect place to learn more about flights and destinations that the airline caters to.
The airline's website enables passengers to do web check-ins and simultaneously learn about flight status. Booking a Kuwait Airways flight ticket on their website is also not cumbersome as the interface is very user-friendly. Following the flight bookings, Kuwait Airways does share a list of policies and protocols that the passenger should adhere to, along with details of baggage allowance, in-flight services that can be availed and lounge accessibility. Passengers can also learn more about Kuwait Airways' flight schedules and other such necessary details that would be pertinent when booking flights. Basically, the airline provides all important information along with unmatched services that make it one of the best airlines, not just in the Middle East but also across continents.
About Hamad Airport
Hamad International Airport is the only international airport that caters to the state of Qatar and is situated in its capital city, Doha. The airport has replaced the former international airport, Doha International Airport, to be the principal airport that serves the city of Doha and the country Qatar. Earlier, the airport was referred to as the New Doha International Airport, the airport was renamed as Hamad International Airport. It was supposed to open for business and flight operations in 2009. However, due to some cost delays and a series of conundrums, the airport finally reopened in 2014 with a grand ceremony of Qatar Airways' flight landing from nearby Doha International. Following the same, several of Qatar Airways' aircraft and other flights functioning from the old airport were shifted to the new airport, a month after Hamad International Airport opened. The airport has been named after Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar. Since its genesis, the airport has been raking tremendous praise and accolades for being one of the best airports of the Middle East. In fact, it was voted as the Best Airport (in the category of 30-40 million passenger accommodation in a year) and Best Airport Staff in the Middle East in 2020.
Talks about constructing an all-new international airport in Doha started in 2003 with constructions commencing in 2005. Hamad International Airport is located about 5 km the east of older Doha International Airport. The airport is spread across an area of 5,500 acres of land. Initially, the airport was set to only cater to airlines that do not have lounge access to be utilised. The airport was designed to balance out the increase in passenger volume and air traffic witnessed by the city. Initially, the annual capacity of passengers as proposed was 29 million. However, upon completion of the new airport, the capacity also extended to 50 million passengers in a year. Some estimates suggest that the airport has the capacity of accommodating over 93 million passengers in a year, as opposed to the 50 million stated. With this fact, Hamad International Airport becomes the second largest in the region, following Dubai International Airport. The new airport is also set to handle over 320,000 aircraft movement along with 2 million tonnes of cargo in a year.
About Hamad International Airport Terminal
Hamad International Airport only has one terminal but is spread out in about five concourses that have been named alphabetically. These concourses have been designed by the American design, architecture, engineering and urban planning firm, HOK. Meanwhile, the contract to develop the airport was awarded to Bechtel. Here are details of the concourses at the Hamad International Airport.
Concourse A - The concourse has the ten passenger gates that are connected to jet bridges. It is located west of the check-in section of the main terminal. The two gates have been designed specifically to accommodate Airbus A380.
Concourse B - This concourse accommodates ten passenger gates which are connected to jet bridges, located at the east of the main check-in area. Out of the ten gates, two have been reserved to accommodate Airbus A380. Ten airlines operations form the old Doha International Airport has been shifted to Concourse B. Further, some facilities include smoking rooms, duty-free stores and family lounge areas.
Concourse C - The concourse consists of 13 gates which are connected to jet bridges and yet again, two of them are reserved for Airbus A380. The concourse was opened in 2014.
Concourse D - The concourse is divided into two levels, gates 1 - 4's operations being conducted on the first level while gates 18 - 24 have their operations on the ground level. This concourse is fully functional.
Concourse E - The concourse is fully functional and has a similar layout as Concourse D. It has been stated that Concourses D and E are due to be extended with talks of an additional Concourse F that is set to be installed. However, the plans haven't been finalised yet.
The terminal also has facilities of First Class and Business Class lounges installed. One of the biggest highlights of Hamad International Airport's terminal interiors is the prominent gigantic bronze statue of a teddy bear with its head inserted in a lamp. Often referred to as Lamp Bear, the sculpture is the creation of Swiss artist Urs Fischer. It has been put for display at the grand foyer and is surrounded by the airport's duty-free shopping hall. The Lamp Bear statue initially belonged to the Seagrams Building plaza in New York City. However, it was later purchased by a member of the Qatari royal family at an auction for a whopping USD 6.8 million. The structure weighs about 18-20 tonnes and is seven meters tall.
About airport authority
Hamad International Airport is owned and operated by Qatar Airways. The airline is responsible for bringing forth a whole new airport and replacing the old Doha International Airport. The airport authority has been striving to make Hamad International Airport as one of the best in the world by offering world-class amenities and aircraft perks. They aim to create new records and break many more with constant expansion plans. Qatar Airways has also initiated Hamad International Airport to be the first in the world to design structures specifically to accommodate Airbus A380.
The airport authority plans to expand the airport to accommodate the footfall of passengers who will be visiting the city to watch the FIFA 2022 World Cup. It has been speculated that the airport will need to accommodate a massive passenger capacity as the world cup would bring more passengers and travellers from around the world to Doha. Further, as part of their expansion plans, the airport authority also aims to beautify the central building by adding a tropical garden and a 268-meter tall water feature. They plan to emulate the water feature that is found at Singapore Changi Airport's Jewel complex. Qatar Airways also has proposals to expand its lounge space and make it the world's largest airport lounge.
Facilities at the Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport has a slew of exquisite and world-class services and facilities that make it one of the best airports in the Middle East. With various facilities such as baggage wrapping, porter services, first-class and business class lounge experience, airline-specific lounge, spas, airport hotels and more, travelling to Hamad International Airport is an experience.
Top airlines flying from the Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport caters to a massive number of international destinations by accommodating a slew of airlines. Apart from reserving space for the national carrier, Qatar Airways, some of the airlines that operate from Hamad International Airport include Air India, Air India Express, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, British Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, GoAir, Himalayan Airlines, IndiGo, Iran Air, Kuwait Airways, Nepal Airlines, Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Royal Jordanian, SalamAir, SriLankan Airlines, Syrian Air, Turkish Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines. These airlines operating from Hamad International Airport has flights to major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kannur, Mangalore, Dhaka, London, Addis Ababa, Bangalore, Kuwait City, Kathmandu, Muscat, Islamabad, Manila, Paris, Venice, Seoul, Tokyo, Sydney, Zurich, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Colombo and more.
How to reach the Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport is blessed with a slew of connections to the main city of Doha. Travellers can take public bus services, personal taxi cabs, metro and hire car rentals and chauffer-driven limousines.
By Bus
The bus services in Doha have excellent connections to the airport. The buses are operated by Mowasalat, which is the state's transport company. Some of the routes covered by the bus services also include a route to the airport. You can catch a bus to reach Hamad International Airport at affordable rates and the comfort of an air-conditioned bus. The vehicles are clean and maintained perfectly. Not to mention details of the bus with schedules have been shared on the airport's official website.
By Metro
Hamad International Airport has a direct Metro connection. The airport has fast and frequent Metro services that are available on all seven days of a week. You can reach Hamad International Airport from any of the tourist attractions in the city of Doha. You can also use the Metro line and plan a travel itinerary to check out some of the exquisite tourist attractions of Doha. Live updates of the Metro train as well as their schedules are flashed on the station's monitors.
By Taxicab and car rentals
From booking a car rental to hailing a taxi cab, there are many such transport options that you can avail at the airport. You can even opt for airport shuttle service at the hotel you are staying in (provided they have this facility) to reach Hamad International Airport. Further, to upscale your trip, you can book a chauffer-driven limousine service also. The airport has travel booths where you can figure out the ideal transport facility for your budget.
