Qatar Airways begins daily flights to Toronto via Doha

Passengers from Punjab and the Punjabi diaspora now have expanded travel options to Canada, as Qatar Airways has increased its Doha-Toronto operations to a daily service effective from today onward. The move enhances one-stop international connectivity from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar.

With the new schedule, passengers from Amritsar will have daily one-stop connections to Toronto through Doha, along with access to Montreal and over 100 destinations in Qatar Airways’ global network. The airline, which began Doha-Toronto flights with three weekly services in December 2024 and expanded to five in June 2025, has now upgraded the route to daily operations in response to strong passenger demand.

Sameep Singh Gumtala, Convener of the FlyAmritsar Initiative, termed the development a major boost for travellers between Punjab and Canada, particularly following the recent suspension of Neos Air’s Amritsar-Toronto service via Milan. Gumtala said the daily service provides greater convenience and flexibility for travelers.

“Qatar Airways’ Amritsar-Doha flights already connect Punjabis to North America, Europe and Australia with reliability and world-class service. The addition of daily Doha-Toronto operations gives passengers more choices during peak winter travel while avoiding congestion and baggage hassles at Delhi Airport,” he said.

He also urged the Government of India to adopt a more regionally balanced aviation policy, pointing out that while foreign carriers are expanding services via Amritsar, Indian airlines like Air India and IndiGo have yet to start direct long-haul flights to destinations such as Toronto, Vancouver, Milan and Rome.

Anantdeep Singh Dhillon from FlyAmritsar Initiative highlighted ongoing capacity limitations under the India-Qatar bilateral air services agreement, which restricts Qatar Airways to about 1,259 passengers each way per week from Amritsar. “The consistently full flights and high demand clearly indicate the need for expanded capacity and liberalised aviation policies,” he said.

He further added that Amritsar remains Punjab’s only major international gateway, yet airlines from the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries remain restricted from operating there. “Allowing carriers such as Emirates and Etihad to serve Amritsar would boost tourism, trade, and strengthen Punjab’s global connectivity,” Dhillon stated.