PAL, QA Launch Daily Manila-Doha Flight

Philippine Airlines and Qatar Airways celebrated the inaugural codeshare flight from Manila to Doha with a ceremony at Hamad International Airport, led by airline and government officials: Ms. Monica Remsy Calangian – Philippine Embassy Vice Consul (2nd from left); Atty. Carlos Luis Fernandez – PAL Executive Vice President / Chief Operating Officer (3rd from left); H.E. Mardomel Celo D. Melico – Philippine Ambassador to Qatar (4th from left); Richard Nuttall – PAL President (center); Hamad Al-Khater – Chief Operating Officer, Doha’s Hamad International Airport (4th from the right); and Stephan Nagel – Qatar Airways Vice President Airline Partnerships (3rd from right)

PAL, QA Launch Daily Manila-Doha Flight

By Bing Jabadan – Thenationweek.com  

Updated 10:18 AM EDT, Tuesday July 1, 2025  

DOHA, Qatar – Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Qatar Airways (QA) inaugurated their daily service between Manila and Doha on Monday. The launch, marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Hamad International Airport, solidified a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing travel options and seamless connections for passengers worldwide.

The event was attended by PAL President Richard Nuttall, Executive Vice President and COO Carlos Luis Fernandez, and Vice President of Revenue Management, Commercial Planning & Alliances Christoph Gaertner, as well as executive delegates from Qatar Airways Group. “This strategic partnership with Qatar Airways puts our valued guests first, leveraging our respective strengths to develop the Philippines-Qatar air travel market,” Nuttall said. He thanked government officials, airport authorities, service partners, and all stakeholders for the successful partnership. “Qatar Airways is proud to commence codeshare flights with Philippine Airlines. This daily service marks the beginning of a strong partnership, fostering closer ties between the Philippines and Qatar for both business and leisure travelers,” QA Chief Commercial Officer Thierry Antinori said. “By working closely with Philippine Airlines, we offer our customers from around the world a seamless travel experience and greater choice for connections to and from the Philippines, through the best hub in the Middle East: Hamad International Airport in Doha,” he added.

Enhanced Connectivity, Comfort

The daily nonstop flights are operated by PAL’s long-range Airbus A330-300 aircraft, featuring a comfortable dual-class configuration. Passengers can choose from 18 flat-bed seats in business class or 341 seats in economy class.

The flight schedule is as follows:

• Manila to Doha — Flight PR684/QR4946/ Departs 18:50, Arrives 23:40  
• Doha to Manila — Flight PR685/QR4947/ Departs 01:30, Arrives 16:15  

Global Access Through Award-Winning Hub

Passengers flying from Manila to Doha gain access to QA’s extensive global network of over 170 destinations via Hamad International Airport, consistently ranked as the “Best Airport in the Middle East” by Skytrax. The partnership provides travelers from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa with greater choice and enhanced connectivity to the Philippines through the country’s flag carrier and only full-service airline.

QA already serves four key cities in the Philippines, including Manila, Cebu, Clark, and Davao, offering passengers convenient entry points to the country’s diverse destinations.

About PAL  

PAL is the Philippines’ flag carrier and only full-service network airline, as well as the first commercial airline in Asia. PAL’s fleet of Boeing, Airbus, and De Havilland aircraft operates scheduled nonstop flights out of hubs in Manila, Cebu, Clark, and Davao to 31 destinations in the Philippines and 38 destinations in Asia, North America, Australia, and the Middle East. Known for its heartwarming and gracious Filipino service, PAL also supports the global economy through air cargo and charter services while serving the travel needs of overseas Filipinos as well as business people, tourists, and families from all over the world.

About QA

A multiple award-winning airline, QA won the “World’s Best Airline” for an unprecedented ninth time at the 2025 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organization Skytrax. It was named the World’s Best Airline in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024. The airline continues to be synonymous with excellence and has again received recognition for “World’s Best Business Class” and “World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge.” As the leading connector in the region, QA has been cited as the “Best Airline in the Middle East” for the 12th time.

QA currently flies to over 170 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport. QA was the first airline in the Middle East to be certified to the highest level of IATA’s Environmental Assessment program, based on recognized environmental management system principles such as ISO 14001. As an inaugural signatory to the Buckingham Palace Declaration in March 2016, QA became the first airline globally to be certified to the industry standard for the prevention of illegal wildlife trafficking in aviation.