Two months after Canberra Airport welcomed its first regular international flights, Qatar Airways has announced plans to start flights to Doha, in a move that has surprised even the ACT Government.

Overnight the Middle Eastern airline announced eight destinations to which it would begin flying in 2017-18, including Canberra.

In September, Singapore Airlines became the first carrier in more than a decade to offer a regular direct international service from Canberra Airport.

It currently operates a route between Singapore, Canberra, and Wellington four times a week.

The ACT Government fought hard for the Singapore route, however it was not consulted by Qatar Airways before the announcement was made.

"This has been a bit of a surprise for the ACT Government," Acting Chief Minister Yvette Berry said.

"We knew that if we got one international flight to the ACT that others would follow, and that's proven to be the case.

"We're very keen to have conversations with Qatar Airlines, if that's part of their proposal."

Opposition Leader Alistair Coe also welcomed the announcement, and said he was not concerned by the lack of contact between Qatar Airways and the ACT Government.

"It's very positive that you have the private sector wanting to invest in Canberra without government support," he said.

The ACT Government has pushed for more carriers to fly to Canberra, announcing dedicated funding to attract airlines including Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific.

No start date set for flights

Qatar Airways has not announced a start date for the flights, but the airline's chief executive Akbar Al Baker said the routes would begin by 2018.

"With today's network announcement, we will be able to connect more people to more places than any other Gulf airline," he said.

"We look forward to welcoming these destinations in 2017-18."

Canberra Airport general manager Stephen Byron said with commencement dates yet to be locked down, another international carrier could start direct flights to the city before Qatar Airways.

"I don't think anyone will beat Qatar in terms of a first service to Doha, but clearly it's possible that an airline could announce a service to a different route that might commence before that time," he said.

Mr Byron said Qatar's service to Doha would almost certainly leave later in the day, similar to Singapore Airlines flights.

"That's taking advantage of Canberra Airport's curfew-free status, which has been critical to the development of our international flight operations," he said.