Qatar Airways resumes flights to three South African cities

Qatar Airways resumed flights to several destinations in South Africa, the airline announced Thursday. The Gulf carrier is nearing the number of flight destinations it had before the crisis.

Qatar Airways is now offering regularly scheduled flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban in South Africa, the airline said in a press release. Between the three cities, Qatar is flying to the African country 19 times per week. This is more than any other international airline, Qatar Airways said.

Many Middle Eastern airlines suspended services for a period during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qatar Airways was unique in continuing to fly throughout the crisis. The airline did stop flying to numerous destinations in March, and has steadily resumed routes since then. Last month, Qatar resumed services to Amman.

The Doha-based carrier aims to fly to 124 airports by the end of 2020, it said today. Before the coronavirus, Qatar Airways flew to more than 160 destinations.

Qatar has the highest number of coronavirus cases per capita in the world.

Like other regional airlines, Qatar Airways has suffered financially from the decrease in air travel across the world resulting from COVID-19. In May, the airline announced it was seeking billions in loans.