Qatar Airways has recently announced an expansion of its codeshare agreements with Aer Lingus and LEVEL. This move will provide passengers with access to 18 additional routes in the United States, strengthening its partnership with International Airlines Group (IAG) carriers and improving connectivity between the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East.
In 2024, Qatar Airways successfully launched a codeshare agreement with Aer Lingus, and now they have expanded the partnership to cover 11 US destinations from Dublin Airport (DUB). These destinations include Boston, Connecticut, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas (to be added soon).
The airline has also reintroduced its codeshare agreement with LEVEL, the long-haul operator at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN). This agreement covers flights to Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, and Santiago (to be added soon).
According to Thierry Antinori, Chief Commercial Officer at Qatar Airways, the airline believes in providing passengers with a wider variety of travel options. With the addition of Aer Lingus and LEVEL to their existing partnerships, Qatar Airways is setting a new standard for passenger convenience and global connectivity with 18 more routes to the US and South America.
Susanne Carberry, Chief Customer Officer at Aer Lingus, expressed her excitement about the partnership, stating that Aer Lingus is delighted to extend their services to Qatar Airways customers traveling to various top US destinations. She also mentioned that Aer Lingus has significantly expanded its North American network in recent years and offers flights on their brand-new Airbus A321 XLR aircraft. Additionally, passengers flying with Aer Lingus to North America can take advantage of Dublin Airport’s US Pre-Clearance facility, allowing them to clear US immigration before departing from Dublin and arrive in the US as domestic passengers.
Lucía Adrover, Chief Commercial and Network Officer at LEVEL, also shared her enthusiasm for the renewed partnership with Qatar Airways. She mentioned that the expansion of their codeshare agreement will contribute to the strengthening of Barcelona’s long-haul connectivity. LEVEL’s next-generation airline model is designed to provide a competitive, seamless, and welcoming travel experience, linking the Middle East and Asia with the Americas via Barcelona.
This latest development builds on Qatar Airways’ existing codeshare portfolio with IAG carriers, including British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL, and Vueling. This further solidifies their strong position in the European market.
In other news, the airline has also signed a defense deal with Qatar, following an apology from the country for the bombing of Israel’s Doha. This deal has been compared to the Article-5 style defense deal in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).