Malaysia Airlines has announced that it will launch a new nonstop flight to Doha, Qatar as part of a codeshare agreement with Qatar Airways. The airline will begin flights to its “long-awaited destination” in late May 2022. Doha is the airline’s third destination in the Middle East after Jeddah and Madinah.
Kuala Lumpur-Doha-Kuala Lumpur
Starting 25th May 2022, Malaysia Airlines will operate a daily nonstop flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Doha’s Hamad International Airport with the following schedule:
- Kuala Lumpur-Doha
- Departure time: 21:20
- Arrival time: 23:50
- Flight time: 7 hours and 30 minutes
- Flight number: MH160
- Frequency: Daily
- Doha-Kuala Lumpur
- Departure time: 01:30
- Arrival time: 14:20
- Flight time: 7 hours and 50 minutes
- Flight number: MH161
- Frequency: Daily
These flights will be operated by the carrier’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft featuring 27 Business Class seats, 16 extra-legroom Economy Class seats and 247 standard Economy Class seats.
Captain Izham Ismail, Group Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Airlines, said:
In light of the continued easing of travel restrictions across the globe, Malaysia Airlines’ new route to Doha is an excellent opportunity to expand our network and offerings while significantly connecting the ASEAN markets with the Middle East region and beyond. As we strive to become Asia’s Leading Travel and Aviation Services Group, this new service marks another milestone in the airline network’s expansion plan.
He added:
The service will further boost the growth of traffic flow via KLIA, opening up Malaysia more broadly to travellers from other international destinations. As a leisure and tourism player, we aim to play a significant role in bringing in international travellers to continue driving Malaysia’s tourism recovery via this new route. We invite business travellers and holidaymakers to enjoy a warm and genuine service which reflects Malaysian culture and traditions underpin by its inimitable Malaysian Hospitality the moment their journey begins with us.
Stay up to date: Sign up for my newsletter to never miss latest Aviation and Travel news.
Qatar Airways’ codeshare
Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways have announced that they will “significantly expand their codeshare cooperation”.
The airlines say that the “codeshare expansion, which adds 34 destinations to the existing 62 codeshare destinations, marks another milestone in the long-standing relationship between the two countries’ national carriers and oneworld partners.”
The agreement will greatly benefit travellers who will have access to a much greater combined network and enjoy a easy travel experience on both airlines with a single ticket including check-in, boarding and baggage-check processes, frequent flyer benefits and lounge access for the entire journey.
Starting 25th May 2022, passengers flying on Malaysia Airlines’ new Kuala Lumpur to Doha service will have access to 62 codeshare destinations within Qatar Airways’ broad network to the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. Similarly, Qatar Airways passengers travelling from Doha to Kuala Lumpur can easily transfer to 34 Malaysia Airlines’ destinations including their entire domestic network and key markets in Asia, such as Singapore, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
The airlines say that in linking both route networks, they “are striving to develop Kuala Lumpur as a leading aviation hub in the Southeast Asia Region” connecting Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand with the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
Captain Izham Ismail said:
We are excited to deepen our cooperation with our long-standing oneworld partner Qatar Airways to bring the world closer to our customers with more choices and flexibility, exceptional services and innovative products, while upholding highest operational safety, just as passengers begin to travel again following the reopening of borders.
He added:
As we move into the endemic phase, this strategic cooperation shows both carriers’ commitment to offering an unrivalled range of value-added services to passengers and reflects the agility and resilience in facing the pandemic challenges. This partnership is opportune in our efforts to boost air traffic and expedite recovery to pre-pandemic levels, while also enhancing our global brand visibility.
Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways, said:
We share a close and deep bond with Malaysia Airlines and welcome their new non-stop service between Kuala Lumpur and our home in Doha, Hamad International Airport. With this strategic partnership, we are committed to delivering greater choice and connectivity to our customers around the world. We are experiencing a new optimism in air travel and expect a strong rebound in global demand. With our dynamic partnership with Malaysia Airlines, we are aiming to provide unparalleled service and a superior travel experience for our customers.
The enhanced cooperation will also include reciprocal loyalty benefits allowing Qatar Airways Privilege Club members to earn and redeem Avios points when flying on Malaysia Airlines, with similar benefits for Malaysia Airlines Enrich members when travelling on Qatar Airways’ services. Privilege Club and Enrich members will also enjoy a wide range of other unique benefits, depending on tier status, such as complimentary lounge access, complimentary extra baggage allowance, priority check-in, priority boarding and priority baggage delivery on Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways.
Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways’ strategic partnership evolved progressively beginning 2001 and have significantly expanded the collaborative partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in February 2022 to leverage each other’s network strengths and provide robust access for passengers to travel to new destinations beyond their individual network, and ultimately lead Asia Pacific Travel.
Qatar Airways operates double-daily flights between Doha and Kuala Lumpur and with the entry of Malaysia Airlines on the route, there will 3 nonstop flights a day running between Kuala Lumpur and Doha.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways recently announced the signing of a new strategic partnership with Virgin Australia.
Featured image by Malaysia Airlines
What do you think of Malaysia Airlines launching flights to Doha, Qatar and expanding codeshare agreement with Qatar Airways? Let me know in the comments section below.
Follow IH Aviation and Travel on Social Media on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.