Qatar Airways to Land in 17 U.S. Cities with Aer Lingus
The Gulf giant will leverage its Irish partner and the Dublin hub to massively expand its North American network through a new codeshare agreement.
Aer Lingus has filed a formal application with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for a blanket statement of authorization to expand its codeshare agreement with Qatar Airways to transatlantic routes. The move seeks to allow Aer Lingus to display its Qatari partner's "QR" designator code on flights operated by the Irish airline to and from the United States.
The application, submitted on July 23, 2025, details the intention of both companies to initially implement this cooperation on 17 routes connecting Aer Lingus' hub in Dublin (DUB) with major U.S. cities. The destinations include New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Chicago (ORD), Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Orlando (MCO), and Washington D.C. (IAD), among others.
This move represents a deepening of the strategic relationship between the two airlines. Qatar Airways is a major shareholder in International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia. Both carriers are also members of the oneworld global alliance, so this codeshare expansion solidifies the group's network in the competitive North Atlantic market.
The agreement will allow Qatar Airways to market and sell flights under its code to an extensive list of cities in the United States where it does not operate directly, using the Aer Lingus network. For passengers, this translates into the ability to purchase a single ticket, check baggage through to their final destination, and have smoother connections between Qatar Airways' global network—spanning the Middle East, Africa, and Asia—and North America, via a stop in Dublin.
What is a codeshare agreement? It is a commercial alliance where one airline (Aer Lingus, in this case) operates a flight, but another airline (Qatar Airways) can market seats on that flight with its flight number and code ("QR").
Which U.S. cities are included? Initially, there are 17, including Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.
What are the benefits of flying to the U.S. via Dublin? Dublin Airport has a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Preclearance facility, allowing passengers to complete U.S. immigration and customs formalities before boarding, arriving at their destination as if on a domestic flight.
The application to the DOT argues that the authorization is consistent with the Open Skies agreements the United States has with both the European Union and Qatar. These agreements promote cooperative commercial arrangements such as codeshares.
Aer Lingus and Qatar Airways already have a codeshare agreement for flights outside the United States since 2024, which they are now seeking to expand. The Irish company requested expedited treatment of the application to launch the marketing of these flights as soon as possible after all necessary government authorizations are received
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