Qatar welcomed 3.5 million visitors between January and September 2025, representing a 2.2% rise compared to the same period last year, according to new data released by Qatar Tourism.

In a statement on Thursday, the tourism authority said that both visitor arrivals and accommodation demand maintained steady growth through the end of the third quarter, as the country gears up for a busy schedule of international events in the final months of 2025 and early 2026.

The report highlighted that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries continued to be Qatar’s largest source of tourists, accounting for 36% of all arrivals. Europe contributed 25% of total visitors, while Asia and Oceania made up 22%. Notably, arrivals from China increased by 37% and from Australia by 31% in the third quarter alone.

Air travel remained the most common entry point, with 60% of visitors arriving by air, 33% entering by land, and 7% by sea — a sign of Qatar’s growing accessibility across multiple travel channels.

The hospitality sector also performed strongly. The total number of hotel and serviced apartment rooms reached 41,733, while the average occupancy rate rose to 68%, an increase of 2.4 percentage points compared with last year. Room nights sold climbed to 7.7 million, reflecting an 8% year-on-year growth in demand.

Looking ahead, Visit Qatar plans to launch an extensive lineup of events under the Qatar Calendar 2025–2026, featuring major sports tournaments, cultural festivals, and entertainment programs designed to attract both local and international audiences.

Among the key upcoming events are the Doha International Military Music Festival (Doha Tattoo), the T100 Triathlon World Championship Final in Lusail, and the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit. The Doha Film Festival, organized by the Doha Film Institute, will also return as part of the season’s cultural highlights.

Additionally, Visit Qatar is coordinating with the Local Organizing Committee for Football Events to prepare for a series of global football tournaments, including the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025, and FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025. These competitions will take place in Doha, Lusail, and Al Rayyan, supported by comprehensive plans for stadium operations, fan engagement, accommodation, and media services.

Qatar Tourism emphasized that the steady growth in visitor numbers aligns with the goals of the Third National Development Strategy (2024–2030), which seeks to diversify the national economy and expand cultural, sports, and leisure opportunities for both residents and tourists.

The winter tourism season will extend into 2026, offering a rich cultural program that includes the second editions of Sealine Season 2026 and Brouq Events in Ras Abrouq, along with Art Basel Qatar at the National Museum of Qatar. Food lovers can look forward to the Qatar International Food Festival and the Throwback Food Festival, complemented by ongoing heritage and family activities across Katara Cultural Village, Souq Waqif, and Al Bidda Park.

The Norwegian Group carried 2.9 million passengers in August 2026, including 2.5 million passengers on Norwegian and 359,000 on Widerøe.

Norwegian increased its capacity by 3% year on year, while passenger traffic climbed 4%. Its load factor improved by 0.4 percentage points to 86.3%. The airline operated an average of 94 aircraft during the month.

Regularity stood at 98.9%, rising to 99.6% when cancellations related to the Avinor air traffic controllers’ strike are excluded. The industrial action disrupted travel for more than 20,000 passengers. Norwegian’s punctuality rate, measured by departures within 15 minutes of schedule, was 80.8%.

Widerøe increased capacity by 2%, while traffic remained unchanged. Its load factor consequently declined by 1.8 percentage points to 75.8%. The regional airline recorded punctuality of 93.3%, an improvement of 1.5 percentage points, while regularity reached 97.4%.

Norwegian said booking activity for the autumn remained strong, particularly around the school holidays. Meanwhile, its Norwegian Reward loyalty programme has surpassed 10 million members and is introducing five new membership tiers.

Source: QCAA

African airlines recorded a 6.4% year-on-year increase in passenger demand in July 2026, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Capacity across African carriers increased by 9.0% compared with July 2025, while the passenger load factor stood at 74.1%. Domestic revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) in the region rose 0.6% during the month.

Globally, total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased just 0.2% from July 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand grew 1.2%, while available seat kilometres, the industry measure of capacity, increased 0.3%.

The global load factor was 85.2%. International demand declined 0.1% year on year. When the Middle East was excluded, international demand increased 1.5%, with capacity also rising 0.3% and the load factor reaching 85.2%.

Domestic passenger demand worldwide grew 0.6% compared with July 2025, while domestic capacity increased 0.2%. The domestic load factor stood at 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had produced a largely positive result despite weaker performance by carriers in North America and the Middle East.

She also noted that traffic through Gulf aviation hubs was continuing to recover.

Thomsen said airlines remained confident about demand for the final months of the year despite elevated fuel costs, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. Carriers are planning to increase seat capacity by almost 3% in September, she added.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Global air passenger demand recorded modest growth in July 2026, as strong performances in several regions helped offset declines among carriers in North America and the Middle East, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Total revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) increased by 0.2% compared with July 2025. Excluding Middle Eastern airlines, global passenger demand rose by 1.2%.

Worldwide capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), grew by 0.3% year-on-year, while the global passenger load factor slipped by 0.1 percentage points to 85.2%.

International traffic declined by 0.1% compared with the same month last year. However, excluding Middle Eastern carriers, international demand increased by 1.5%.

Domestic passenger demand rose by 0.6%, supported by a 0.2% increase in capacity. The domestic load factor reached 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had delivered an overall positive picture for aviation despite challenges in key markets.

“Overall growth of 0.2% in July was achieved despite year-on-year collective declines by carriers in North America and the Middle East,” she said, adding that traffic through Gulf hubs continued to recover.

Thomsen noted that high fuel prices, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions remain challenges for the industry. However, airlines remain confident about demand later in the year, with seat capacity expected to expand by almost 3% in September.

European airlines posted demand growth of 3.1%, supported in particular by a 12.1% surge in traffic between Europe and Asia.

Latin American carriers recorded a 7.1% increase in demand, while African airlines reported growth of 6.4%.

Elsewhere, Asia-Pacific demand declined by 0.7%, and North American carriers saw a 2.3% fall. Middle Eastern airlines reported the sharpest decline, with demand down 9.5%, although the pace of the downturn continued to ease.

Domestic traffic rose 0.6% worldwide, with China and Brazil reporting strong growth. In contrast, domestic markets in the United States, Australia and India recorded declines.

Source: ZAWYA

Typhoon Dolphin brought torrential rain to Shanghai on Monday, August 10, 2026, flooding roads and commercial areas and severely disrupting air travel in the city.

The weather system forced Shanghai’s two airports to cancel a combined 943 flights, while their overall passenger capacity was reduced by nearly 40%.

The disruption followed Dolphin’s landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday evening. The typhoon struck areas south and west of Shanghai with maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometres per hour near its centre.

Dolphin later weakened into a tropical storm, but its remaining rain bands continued to bring heavy precipitation across large parts of eastern China.

Shanghai, the country’s second-most populous city, experienced widespread flooding, including in several major commercial districts.

China Eastern Airlines said it was working to gradually restore flights to Shanghai, Zhejiang and other affected destinations as weather conditions improve.

Source: Asia News Network

Thousands of WestJet cabin crew members began strike action on Aug. 2 after nearly 11 months of contract negotiations failed to result in a new labor agreement, triggering widespread disruptions across the airline's network.

The industrial action involves around 4,400 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125. The strike officially started after talks between the union and the airline ended without a new collective agreement.

The labor dispute has already forced WestJet to cancel more than 300 flights, affecting travel plans across its domestic and international routes.

Ahead of the strike, the airline had begun grounding portions of its Boeing 737 fleet as a precautionary measure to minimize operational disruption and reduce the risk of leaving passengers and aircraft stranded during the work stoppage.

Source: Aero Time