I completely disagree. In no terms can Qatar Airways’ flights from Edinburgh to Dubai or Hong Kong be classed as “direct”. The only “direct” route Qatar offer from EGPH is to Doha, everything else is an onward connection. Sure you can book a through ticket to Dubai, Hong Kong and other destinations but under no interpretation or the word “direct” can changing flights at an intermediate point such as a hub airport be classed as a “direct” flight.
You may completely disagree however the official IATA definition of a direct flight is:
Any flight ticketed as a single flight coupon, irrespective of whether there are enroute stops and/or changes of aircraft types
and that can be found here
IATA Definitions
Now if you were talking non stop flight I would agree.
Ex