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First Qatar flights to Port Sudan
Qatar Airways launched its first flights to Port Sudan Airport on 2 July 2026, with the carrier operating three weekly flights to connect passengers traveling to and from Sudan via Hamad International Airport in Doha.
“The carrier will operate three weekly flights”
The Peninsula Qatar said the inaugural flight arrival underscored Qatar Airways' commitment to Africa, and it described the route as providing connections to more than 160 destinations worldwide through Hamad International Airport.
Qatar Airways said the Port Sudan service would be operated using an Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 12 Business Class seats and 120 Economy Class seats, and it added that with the launch it serves 27 destinations across Africa.
The airline also said it first began serving the continent in 1994 with flights to Khartoum International Airport, making Sudan its first destination in Africa, and it operates more than 190 weekly flights to the continent.
Diplomats frame the restart
At Port Sudan Airport, the Sudanese ambassador to the State of Qatar, Badr al-Din Abdullah Muhammad Ahmed, said the step reflected "the political will of the wise leadership in the two countries" and that he looked forward to Qatar Airways' planes landing at Khartoum International Airport soon.
In the same setting, the ambassador described the return of the Qatari carrier as "a revival of momentum in economic relations" and said it would open "new horizons for engagement between the business communities of the two countries."
Al-Jazeera Net reported that Qatar Airways had announced suspending its operations in Sudan completely on April 16, 2023, after the closure of Khartoum International Airport and the civil airspace as a result of the armed conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.
Al-Jazeera Net also quoted the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Sudan, Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Sada, saying the inauguration of Qatar Airways' flights to Port Sudan had been "a focus of attention and anticipation for some time" and reflected the keenness of the two countries to sustain bilateral relations despite the challenges.
What comes next for Sudan links
Sudan Tribune said Qatar Airways will resume its flights to Port Sudan on July 2 after years of absence, noting that the Qatar Airways group halted its flights to Sudan on April 16, 2023, one day after the outbreak of the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
“Qatar Airways on Monday announced that it will resume its flights to Port Sudan on July 2”
The same Sudan Tribune report said Qatar Airways would operate three weekly flights to Port Sudan International Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and it stressed that passengers traveling to Port Sudan from major markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, such as Oman and Pakistan, will be able to benefit from seamless connections via Hamad International Airport.
Sudan Tribune added that in the first week of May 2026 Qatar Airways conducted an aviation and security audit program at Port Sudan International Airport, focusing on evaluating the airport’s safety and operational security system and reviewing ground handling services and related support services.
It also said the Civil Aviation Authority announced last week the issuance of a NOTAM reopening Sudan’s skies to international air traffic to and from Khartoum International Airport, as part of restoring full operational efficiency of the civil aviation sector.
