Next month, Qatar Airways is set to launch a triangular route from its main hub at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) that will serve two new South American destinations. 

These are El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogotá and Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) in Caracas. The latter of these airports is especially significant, as it "becomes the first Gulf carrier to serve Venezuela."

However, one of the two destinations is now in jeopardy, as Venezuela's main international airport has been closed indefinitely after two powerful earthquakes struck the country in quick succession. Simón Bolívar International Airport, also known as Maiquetía, was shut down after sustaining extensive damage to its runways and terminal buildings. 

Operating twice a week, this route is targeted not just at point-to-point traffic between South America and Doha, but also at passengers looking to make onward connections at the oneworld member's Middle Eastern hub. Qatar Airways highlights "Australia, China, Japan, Lebanon, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates" as onward destinations where it expects demand to be particularly high.

On July 22, Qatar Airways will commence operations on its new triangular route to South America. The first rotation will fly from Doha to Caracas, then onwards to Bogotá, and finally back to Doha. However, thereafter, the route will operate in the opposite direction, flying nonstop to Bogota and returning to Doha via Caracas. This will help with the payload restrictions, which are particularly high due to Bogota's high elevation.

The maximum one-stop block time on this route between December and July is 20 hours and 50 minutes. The flights will operate twice a week, departing Doha on Wednesdays and Sundays. They are numbered as QR783, flying both east and westbound, and spend 90 minutes on the ground in Bogota, followed by a two-hour stopover in Caracas. 

The airline commented on the new route in a statement, "The service represents a significant milestone for the airline, as Qatar Airways becomes the first Gulf carrier to serve Venezuela and the first airline to operate flights from the Middle East to Caracas and Bogotá."

According to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Qatar Airways is set to deploy 777-200LR widebody twinjets on this new triangular route. Fleet data from ch-aviation shows that the Doha-based Qatari flag carrier and oneworld member currently has a total of six of these aircraft at its disposal, and they average 16.4 years old.

Source: Simple Flying