Indian low-cost carrier GoFirst (formerly known as GoAir) has announced the launch of nonstop flights to Doha, Qatar, under the air travel bubble agreement between India and Qatar. Doha is Go First’s first destination in the State of Qatar and the sixth in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Nonstop to Doha
GoFirst will fly 4-times-a-week between Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Doha’s Hamad International Airport. The schedules for these flights are:
- Mumbai-Doha
- Departure time: 20:10
- Arrival time: 21:00
- Flight time: 3 hours and 20 minutes
- Flight number: G81571
- Frequency: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
- Doha-Mumbai
- Departure time: 22:00
- Arrival time: 04:05 (the next day)
- Flight time: 3 hours and 35 minutes
- Flight number: G84471
- Frequency: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
The Mumbai-based carrier will also fly 2-times-a-week from Cochin (Kochi) International Airport and Kannur International Airport to Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
The Kochi-Doha-Kochi flights will run with the following schedule:
- Kochi-Doha
- Departure time: 19:45
- Arrival time: 21:30
- Flight time: 4 hours and 15 minutes
- Flight number: G81572
- Frequency: Thursdays and Saturdays
- Doha-Kochi
- Departure time: 22:30
- Arrival time: 05:30 (the next day)
- Flight time: 4 hours and 30 minutes
- Flight number: G84472
- Frequency: Thursdays and Saturdays
The flight schedule of Kannur-Doha-Kannur route is:
- Kannur-Doha
- Departure time: 20:00
- Arrival time: 21:30
- Flight time: 4 hours
- Flight number: G81573
- Frequency: Fridays and Sundays
- Doha-Kannur
- Departure time: 22:30
- Arrival time: 05:15 (the next day)
- Flight time: 4 hours and 15 minutes
- Flight number: G84473
- Frequency: Fridays and Sundays
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Kaushik Khona, CEO, Go First, said:
With the introduction of flights to and from Doha, Go First further consolidates its position in the Gulf. I believe that our operations in the Gulf region have received an exceptional response and the launch of the Doha sector is in line with our growth plans. Qatar and India have always shared a special bond that is built on friendship, business and diplomacy. I believe, Go First’s new flights to Doha will fulfil the aspirations of job seekers as well as business travellers to leverage Qatar’s burgeoning economy.
To mark the introduction of services to Qatar, Go First is offering inaugural return fares starting at ₹26,666 on Mumbai – Doha – Mumbai, ₹37,118 on Kochi – Doha – Kochi and ₹32,332 on Kannur – Doha – Kannur routes respectively.
Competition
GoFirst will face some tough competition with its rival carriers on these routes. Mumbai-Doha will be a tougher market to crack as Air India, Qatar Airways, Indigo and Air India Express all operate flights on this sector. Indigo and Air India Express are the two airlines that GoFirst will directly compete with as Air India and Qatar Airways are full service carriers whereas Indigo and Air India Express are low-cost carriers just like GoFirst.
It’s the same case with Kochi-Doha sector. As for the Kannur-Doha route, GoFirst will again compete with Indigo and Air India Express.
Only time will tell how GoFirst will perform on these flights but it is sure that gaining a significant market share on these routes will be a tough job.
Meanwhile, GoFirst has started offering lounge service at select airports in India.
Featured image by Instagram/GoFirst
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