Nagpur's Doha flight to stop after October 23, leaving Sharjah as only direct overseas link
Qatar Airways' Nagpur-Doha service will be suspended until March 2027, leaving Air Arabia's Sharjah flight as the airport's only direct international route.
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Nagpur airport has international status, but its direct flights abroad keep dwindling. The direct Doha flight is now set to end after October 23, after which Sharjah will be the only direct overseas destination from Nagpur. The development has again raised questions about the city's international connectivity.
Qatar Airways operates the Nagpur-Doha-Nagpur service four days a week. On this route, QR 591 flies from Nagpur to Doha and QR 590 from Doha to Nagpur. Under the current schedule, the flight arriving in Nagpur from Doha on October 22 and the flight leaving Nagpur for Doha on October 23 will be the last of the service. It will then remain suspended until March 2027, cutting the direct air link between Nagpur and Doha for now.
Once the Doha flight stops, Sharjah will be the only direct international route from Nagpur. Air Arabia operates on this route. Passengers travelling abroad will therefore have only one city to choose for a direct international flight for the time being.
There is talk of expanding Nagpur airport and improving passenger facilities, yet the options for international flights appear to be shrinking. With the Doha flight ending, passengers travelling abroad, businesspeople and people travelling to and from the Gulf countries may face difficulties.
Passengers who have so far flown to Doha may have to plan journeys by other routes. Travel time and costs are likely to rise, and dependence on connecting flights may also increase.
Nagpur is a major city of central India, and an increase in international air connectivity from here has long been hoped for. That the number of direct foreign flights remains limited is a worry for passengers, and the picture will become clearer once the Doha service ends.
The question now is what steps will be taken towards new routes and additional flights to improve international connectivity from Nagpur airport. For now, once the Doha service ends, passengers from Nagpur will have to either take the direct flight to Sharjah or rely on connecting flights from other cities to travel abroad.
