Qatar Airways has begun its daily Canberra flights via Sydney to Doha.

The capital city is now the fifth Australian destination in the Gulf airline’s network after Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Qatar Airways is now also the second international carrier flying through Canberra after Singapore Airlines, which started its services back up again in 2016.

The flight is operated by the airline’s award-winning Boeing B777 aircraft with 358 seats onboard in a two-class configuration; 42 seats in business class and 316 in economy. The touchdown via Sydney is an hour layover.

ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, who attended the inauguration last week, said that the new service would inject upwards of 120,000 seats per year into Canberra’s market, as well as contributing to the government’s wider agenda of making it ‘easier and cheaper’ to travel from the nation’s capital.

Meanwhile, senior manager of Australasia for Qatar Airways, Adam Radwanski, asserted that the ‘home of government in Australia’ is an important destination for the airline and moreso since it’s been recognised by acclaimed travel guide Lonely Planet as one of the best places to visit in the world.

In June, Qatar Airways will begin flying its much-anticipated new business class product, the Qsuite on the daily Canberra service as planes in the airline’s fleet are retro-fitted with the new design. The cabin is promising to be more spacious with each seat being fully adjustable.

The cabins will feature double beds and adjustable private cabins for up to four people. In addition, there will be retractable privacy screens, sliding first-class like doors, ample personal space around the seats, and high-speed WiFi.

Flights from Doha touch down in Canberra at 0835 daily with a short stopover in Sydney. Flights departing from Canberra take off at 1345 daily, again via a brief layover in Sydney.