The Big Cut: Qatar Airways Slashes London Flights For Spring 2026
Qatar Airways has announced a notable reduction in its London services for spring 2026, shrinking planned departures and trimming frequencies at both Heathrow and Gatwick. The changes come as the carrier reshapes its global schedule ahead of the busy summer travel period.
Scope of the reductions
The airline has pared back its April–June schedule to London from 951 planned departures to 818, a 14% decline in outbound flights across the quarter. For the week beginning May 1, 2026 (May 1–7, 2026 ET), the carrier will operate 59 weekly departures to London, down from 70 that were previously listed in schedules filed with industry data providers.
The cut is concentrated across both London airports the carrier serves. Heathrow will drop to 48 weekly departures, a loss of 11 services compared with earlier plans, representing nearly a fifth of previously scheduled frequencies for that hub. Gatwick will operate 11 weekly flights in the selected week, scaled back from what had been planned as a double-daily pattern.
Heathrow, Gatwick and the network ripple
Heathrow remains the carrier's primary London gateway, with the remaining schedule mixing long‑haul widebodies such as the A380, A350 variants and Boeing 777s. The reduction of roughly one to two daily flights at Heathrow is likely to free up slot time that may be returned to the airline's close partner at the airport.
At Gatwick, the service will be maintained as a fully daytime operation on specific days of the week, with both departures using narrowbody 787 equipment. The decision to keep the Gatwick timetable daytime-focused highlights a shift toward optimizing daytime connectivity rather than preserving late‑night or red‑eye options on that airport pairing.
These London cuts sit alongside broader schedule adjustments across the carrier's European network. Frequencies to destinations such as Venice and Warsaw are also being reduced, with capacity swaps and equipment changes deployed on select routes. For Venice, the airline is replacing last summer's larger widebody deployment with a smaller single‑aisle type on the route, trimming seat capacity; in Warsaw the carrier has reduced operations to around 12 weekly frequencies on an A330-300 rotation, removing some daytime flights previously offered on certain weekdays.
Why now and what it means for travellers
The timing of the changes suggests a cautious stance on European growth through spring 2026. While the airline has expanded in other regions this year, its European roster shows measured contraction on several city pairs. The reductions could be driven by seasonal demand patterns, fleet reallocation to higher‑growth markets, or network optimization ahead of the summer ramp-up.
For passengers, the immediate effects are straightforward: fewer daily options between Doha and London, and a tighter choice of departure times—particularly at Heathrow where the loss equates to about one to two daily services. Travellers who prefer specific daytime or overnight rhythms should recheck itineraries well ahead of travel, as schedules filed in the industry continue to evolve into the spring.
Finally, the shift underscores how major long‑haul carriers are balancing capacity across continents. Reductions into Europe are being offset by growth elsewhere in the airline's network, and the freed capacity may be redeployed to other long‑haul markets where demand is rising.
Filmogaz will monitor further schedule filings and fleet deployments as carriers finalize plans for the summer 2026 season and will update readers on any material changes to London connectivity.
