Qatar Airways has widened its South American footprint with a twice-weekly service linking Doha, Bogotá, and Caracas, bringing two new capitals into its network. For travellers, the expansion offers a connection between the region and the airline’s Doha hub, alongside access to destinations across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
The Boeing 777-200LR service follows a triangular itinerary: Doha to Bogotá, then onward to Caracas before returning to Qatar. Flights depart on Wednesdays and Sundays. A press release from Qatar Airways highlighted that the development makes it the first Gulf carrier to serve Venezuela.
Qatar Airways today has inaugurated its new twice-weekly service connecting Doha with Caracas and Bogotá. The service represents a significant milestone, as Qatar Airways becomes the first Gulf carrier to serve Venezuela, and the first airline to operate nonstop services from the Middle East to both Bogotá and Caracas. The new route underscores our commitment to strengthening global connectivity for the region and is operated on Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. Read more: https://t.co/ct8Aok0DLV
— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) November 4, 2026
The routing gives Bogotá a nonstop flight from Doha, while Caracas has a nonstop service in the opposite direction. Passengers travelling from the Colombian capital to Qatar go via Venezuela; those heading from Doha to Caracas stop in Colombia. There is a practical reason for the detour. As Business Traveller explains, Bogotá’s El Dorado Airport sits more than 8,300 feet above sea level. The thinner air constrains aircraft take-off performance, making carrying sufficient fuel for a long-haul Gulfward flight a challenge when balancing passenger and cargo loads. Flying first to lower-lying Caracas allows the aircraft to leave Bogotá with less fuel, then refuel for the journey across the Atlantic.
For Qatar Airways, the move may come late, but, alongside other 2026 expansions, demonstrates further resilience despite a turbulent year characterised by uncertainty for Middle East aviation. This time, it broadens its LATAM partnership and Americas network to 17 destinations. For holidaymakers, the expansion opens the possibility of connections, including Cartagena, Medellín, Cali, Santa Marta, and San Andrés Island, giving visitors more ways to combine the capital with other Colombian destinations.
At the other end of the journey, the airline notes that its timetable supports onward transfers at Hamad International Airport to markets including Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates.
But, there are limits to the new connectivity. Qatar Airways lacks so-called “fifth-freedom traffic rights” and so cannot sell tickets solely for the Bogotá–Caracas leg, which means the service is not a standalone option for journeys between those neighbours.
Also, there are just two weekly departures. Still, prospective travellers should perhaps be thankful for that, given Business Traveller’s market-size calculations of an average of just 375 flyers per day, shared among several airlines. As a Simple Flying source within the carrier’s planning office told the outlet: “the new route has obviously been ordered by the Qatari government, otherwise it simply wouldn’t be operated twice weekly.”
