London, United Kingdom – Qatar Airways has once again soared above the competition, earning the coveted title of ‘Best Airline in the World’ at the Business Traveller Awards 2025. The Doha-based carrier took home a total of six accolades, underscoring its dominance in global aviation and its continued commitment to redefining the travel experience.

In addition to the top honour, Qatar Airways claimed several other major awards, including ‘Best Business Class in the World’, ‘Best Economy Class in the World’, ‘Best Airline Lounge in the World’ for its Al Mourjan Lounges at Hamad International Airport, ‘Best Frequent Flyer Programme in the World’, and ‘Best Airline Between Europe and the Middle East’.

Held at London’s Sky Garden, the annual Business Traveller Awards gathered leaders from across the travel, hospitality, and aviation industries to celebrate excellence in service, innovation, and experience. The winners were selected by a distinguished panel of industry experts with decades of experience in global travel and customer experience evaluation.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Thierry Antinori, Chief Commercial Officer of Qatar Airways, expressed gratitude for the recognition: “We are honoured to receive these prestigious accolades that reflect our unwavering commitment to excellence. Being named World’s Best Airline, alongside recognition for our Business and Economy Class cabins, loyalty programme, and lounges, is a testament to our dedication to delivering unparalleled experiences at every touchpoint. These awards reaffirm our position as a global leader and inspire us to continue setting new benchmarks for comfort, connectivity, and service.”

Mr. Michael Keating, Chief Commercial Officer of Ink Global, which organises the awards, praised the airline’s performance: “Qatar Airways performed outstandingly well in this year’s Business Traveller Awards, winning five of the seven global airline categories and six awards in total. From its industry-leading Business Class to exceptional inflight service and innovations such as free Starlink Wi-Fi, Qatar Airways is a truly deserving winner. We were delighted to celebrate their success in London and look forward to seeing how they continue to shape the future of premium travel.”

This recognition marks another milestone in a landmark year for Qatar Airways, as it expands its network to more than 170 destinations worldwide and continues to introduce cutting-edge products and services. As the national carrier of the State of Qatar, the airline remains steadfast in its mission to deliver world-class hospitality and elevate the passenger experience for millions of travellers around the globe.

About Business Traveller

For nearly five decades, Business Traveller has stood as the definitive voice of the globally mobile executive. With flagship editions in the UK, Asia-Pacific, the United States, Germany, the Middle East, India, and Africa, Business Traveller delivers incisive journalism, discerning reviews and authoritative analysis across every facet of the travel experience, aviation and hospitality to technology and corporate culture.

At its core, Business Traveller exists to elevate the journey. We distil the latest airline innovations, the finest airport lounges, transformative destinations and items of essential luxury for the time-sensitive audience. Through intelligent features, insider perspectives, and global reportage, Business Traveller offers thought leadership that sits ahead of the curve - spanning curated hotels and resorts, wellness and design, and the executive lifestyle that reflects the ambition, experience, and refinement of our readers.

Wherever work meets wanderlust, Business Traveller is there connecting decision-makers, frequent flyers and luxury brands. to inform of course, but also to inspire and to facilitate the burgeoning trifecta of business, travel and lifestyle.

Beyond print and digital, Business Traveller extends its reach through broadcast - including ReachTV screens across North America, Bloomberg Television, YouTube, as well as maintaining a leading presence on all major social channels. Coupled with premium placement in first-class airline lounges and myriad leading hotel groups, Business Traveller commands an audience of influence wherever mobility meets luxury.

With its expanding global circulation and trusted editorial authority, Business Traveller offers partners and advertisers a distinctive, measurable platform at the intersection of business and travel. We connect the world’s most premium travellers with the brands that move with them.

For more information, visit businesstraveller.com.

Discover Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, will expand its European network in summer 2027 with new nonstop routes connecting Germany to destinations in the UK and Ireland.

The carrier will begin operating flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Glasgow (GLA) six times a week from March 2027. Additional routes from Frankfurt will follow over the subsequent months, with weekly flights to Shannon (SNN) in the Republic of Ireland starting in April, twice-weekly services to Bristol (BRS) from May, and weekly flights to Inverness (INV) from June.

Discover Airlines will also introduce a twice-weekly route between Munich (MUC) and Glasgow from May 16, 2027. The service was previously operated by Lufthansa's mainline operation.

All five new services will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft and are expected to operate primarily during the summer season.

The expansion will mark Discover Airlines' first-ever operations to destinations in the British Isles.

The German leisure carrier has traditionally focused on destinations offering warmer climates in southern Europe and tropical regions. Its move into the UK and Ireland reflects a growing focus on leisure travel opportunities in areas such as the Scottish Highlands and the countryside of southwest England, with German tourists expected to form a key target market.

Discover Airlines was renamed in 2023 after previously operating as Eurowings Discovery, a separate brand from Lufthansa Group's low-cost subsidiary Eurowings.

The airline is currently pursuing a broader expansion programme and plans to grow its fleet to 40 aircraft by 2028. The planned fleet will consist of an equal split between widebody aircraft and Airbus A320 family aircraft.

Source: QCAA

Thai Airways International is set to relaunch nonstop daily flights between Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (AMS) on July 1, 2026, marking the carrier's return to the Dutch market after nearly 28 years.

The service will utilize modern Airbus A350-900 aircraft as part of Thai Airways' Northern Summer 2026 schedule, with bookings now open following an announcement in early 2026.

This revival restores a historic long-haul link between Southeast Asia and Europe, last operated by Thai Airways in 1998 before the airline withdrew from the Netherlands.

The move aligns with Thai Airways' strategy to expand its European network amid post-restructuring growth, boosting tourism, business travel, and cultural ties between Thailand and the Netherlands while enhancing competition on the route.

By adding this daily connection, Thai Airways aims to strengthen overall Thailand-Europe connectivity, complementing partnerships like codeshares with carriers such as TAP Air Portugal for broader reach.

The resumption reflects confidence in demand from the Benelux region and supports the airline's long-haul ambitions.

flydubai has announced the launch of a new double-daily service to Bangkok, further strengthening its footprint in Thailand and increasing its total operations to the country to 28 weekly flights.

The new route will commence on 15 September 2026, operating from Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK). The addition of Bangkok marks the airline’s second destination in Thailand, complementing its existing service to Krabi.

With this expansion, flydubai continues to enhance its network in Southeast Asia, which also includes destinations such as Langkawi and Penang in Malaysia. The carrier’s growing regional presence reflects sustained passenger demand for travel between Dubai and key leisure and business markets across Asia.

Don Mueang International Airport, located north of central Bangkok, serves as one of the Thai capital’s two international gateways. Its strategic location provides convenient access for both corporate and leisure travellers visiting Bangkok and surrounding provinces.

Commenting on the launch, Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said:

“Thailand continues to be a highly popular destination for both leisure and business travel. The introduction of our double-daily Bangkok service reflects strong and consistent demand across our network. Operating from Terminal 3 at Dubai International and under our codeshare partnership with Emirates, passengers will benefit from seamless connections via Dubai to destinations across the GCC, Europe and other international markets.”

The new service further reinforces Dubai’s position as a leading global aviation hub. flydubai’s network now extends to more than 135 destinations, offering customers expanded travel options and convenient one-stop connectivity.

Sudhir Sreedharan, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at flydubai, added:

“We are pleased to expand our presence in Thailand with the launch of double-daily flights to Bangkok. We look forward to welcoming passengers on board and providing a comfortable and reliable travel experience in both Economy and Business Class.”

As part of its continued investment in customer experience, flydubai offers thoughtfully designed cabins across both classes. Passengers can enjoy comfortable seating, internationally inspired dining options and a wide selection of inflight entertainment available through the airline’s onboard system.

Flight Schedule (All Times Local)

From 15 September 2026, flydubai will operate the following services between Dubai and Bangkok:

• FZ1335: DXB 11:00 – DMK 20:45

• FZ1336: DMK 23:50 – DXB 03:20

• FZ1345: DXB 01:20 – DMK 11:10

• FZ1346: DMK 12:10 – DXB 15:40

Fares

• Return Business Class fares from DXB to DMK start from AED 9,000, while Economy Class Lite fares start from AED 2,500.

• From DMK to DXB, return Business Class fares start from THB 64,000, and Economy Class Lite fares from THB 22,000.

Flights are available for booking via flydubai.com, the official flydubai mobile application, the UAE Contact Centre, flydubai travel shops and authorised travel partners.

Xiamen Airlines will resume its direct flights between Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport in Fujian and Mactan–Cebu International Airport in the Philippines starting 29 March 2026. The twice-weekly service will operate every Tuesday and Saturday using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, featuring eight business-class and 162 economy seats. The flight takes just under three hours.

The move, announced on 14 February, follows recent bilateral talks that granted new traffic rights and improved ground-handling support ahead of the summer season. The reinstated route reconnects Quanzhou—a major manufacturing hub for shoes, garments, and stone products—with Cebu, the commercial heart of the Visayas region. It’s expected to make business travel and supply-chain visits much easier for companies that previously relied on indirect routes via Xiamen or Manila.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the restart, calling it a “new chapter” in people-to-people exchange. The Chinese Embassy in Manila also confirmed that Xiamen Airlines plans to increase flights on its Xiamen–Manila route to meet stronger demand. The announcement comes after the Philippines introduced a one-year visa-free entry scheme allowing Chinese citizens to stay up to 14 days for tourism or business.

For corporate travelers, the renewed direct link offers a more convenient route between Fujian’s export clusters and Cebu’s logistics, repair, and electronics sectors. It also supports greater accessibility to Mindanao, where several Chinese companies are currently involved in infrastructure projects. Filipino travelers should note that China has yet to introduce a reciprocal visa-free policy, so visas remain required except for short transits of up to 24 hours.

The service will also provide around five tonnes of cargo space per flight, which is expected to benefit e-commerce and high-value shipments like electronics and fashion samples. Freight forwarders are advised to secure space early, as the route typically maintains load factors above 80% during peak export periods.