Taking Off: Qatar’s Strategic Rise in Global Aviation

For Qatar, an important development took place recently as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), approved the final phase of its own airspace, the Doha Flight Information Region (FIR). Covering the management of air traffic over international waters north of Qatar, this was a critical step towards achieving complete airspace modernization.

Since gaining independence in 1971, Qatar had relied on Bahrain for air navigation. Realizing the limitations of using the Bahrain Flight Information Region (FIR), Doha requested the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICA0) for its own airspace in 2018.

In 2023, the Doha FIR was demarcated and Qatar was finally on its way to air independence. Winning membership of the ICAO for the first time in 2022, Qatar was also elected chair of the ICAO’s Air Transport Committee in 2024. At this time, Qatar Airways operates more than 250 aircraft, connecting 170 destinations across six continents.