Southeast Asia–based travelers will have a quicker and more comfortable way to reach the Cyclades this summer.
The whitewashed and blue-domed churches of Oia, a village in Santorini. (Photo: spooh/iStock)
On June 7, Qatar Airways will begin thrice-weekly seasonal flights to Santorini, making it the third destination in Greece after Athens and Mykonos. The airline is set to deploy Airbus A320s, equipped with 12 seats in business class and 132 in economy, on the new route. Qatar Airways also plans to restart its seasonal flights to Mykonos in early June with four weekly frequencies, while Athens is being bumped up to double daily, offering greater choice for business and leisure passengers alike.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said in a statement, “We are committed to offering our passengers as many seamless one-stop connection choices as possible.” Enhanced connectivity means customers can leave Australia on Friday night and arrive in Santorini by Saturday afternoon, and those flying from Singapore or Bangkok can break up the intercontinental journey of roughly 14 hours with a manageable two-hour stopover in Doha. Travelers from Jakarta can expect the same layover time at Hamad International Airport; flights between Doha and Santorini will take an estimated four and a half hours.
The flight schedule for the new Santorini service is as follows:
| Doha–Santorini [Flight QR 209] | ||
| Day(s) of Operation | Departure Time | Arrival Time |
| Saturday, Sunday | 7:50 a.m. | 12:20 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 10:10 a.m. | 2:40 p.m. |
| Santorini–Doha [Flight QR 210] | ||
| Saturday | 1:15 p.m. | 5:15 p.m. |
| Sunday | 1:20 p.m. | 5:20 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 3:35 p.m. | 7:35 p.m. |
Qatar Airways is not the only major Gulf carrier that serves the world-famous Greek island. Rival airline Etihad will be flying to Santorini from June 16, also with Airbus A320s, but Singapore-based holidaymakers who choose Etihad face a much longer journey of 22 hours, including a 10-hour layover in Abu Dhabi. The travel time from Jakarta is about the same, while customers flying out of Bangkok will take 21 hours and 20 minutes to reach Santorini. Timing-wise, Qatar Airways’ flights from Southeast Asia are far more competitive.
More information here.
