The outspoken CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker promises an exciting year for Qatar Airways and its guests…
BERLIN- His introduction had the ton of a preamble: “Do you wonder why Middle-East carriers are still flourishing despite the rampant economic crisis in Western economies?”
A good way for Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker to explain why Qatar Airways is as successful as ever today -16 consecutive years of growth from a modest regional carrier to a world leader in the airline industrie….
Last Wednesday at ITB in Berlin, Mr. Al Baker promised another exciting year of growth for Qatar Airways, maybe one of the most exciting. “I feel especially thrilled by the opening of the brand new Hamad International Airport in Doha which will provide unsurpassed comfort for our passengers”, stressed Qatar Airways CEO.
The US$ 15.5 billion project has been delayed by 10 months but it is now ready to open to the public. Offering an initial capacity of 28 million passengers with 41 aircraft being directly docked to the terminal, it will provide over 40,000 m2 of retail space and passenger lounges, a hotel, fitness spaces and even a swimming pool.
“Lounges were the source of the delayed opening. We changed the contractor since. But this means that the terminal will only open from April 1 for a few low cost carriers which do not request premium facilities. The transfer of LCA to the new terminal will also bring some relief to our own operations by creating more space in inside the airport and on the apron”, explained Mr. Al Baker.
“We move first LCA as they do not request premium facilities such as lounges. All airlines offering a premium service- including Qatar Airways- will move by the end of the year”, added Qatar Airways CEO.
The airline will continue to receive new aircraft during the year. Due to batteries problems, Boeing 787 aircraft have been for now immobilized but Akbar Al Baker remains optimistic about a rapid lift of the restrictions over the aircraft model. “I am fully confident about the quality of the Dreamliner B787. This is an excellent aircraft. However, the current immobilization means that our planned integration of 10 Boeing 787 will probably not be possible. Meanwhile, we should put both Airbus A380 and A350 by next year”, said Mr. Al Baker.
For this year, Qatar Airways plans rather to multiply frequencies than expanding by opening dozens of new destinations. “We continue to grow this year. After Phnom Penh, Najaf in Iraq and Gassim in Saudi Arabia, we will open flights to Chicago on April 10), Salalah in Oman on May 22 and Chengdu in China to a later date. We currently operate 121 aircraft to 125 destinations worldwide. I can already tell that within three years, we will surpass 170 aircraft flying to over 170 destinations”, added Qatar Airways CEO. Chengdu has been delayed due to the carrier’s difficulties to secure traffic rights.
A last and major development for Qatar Airways this year will be its integration into oneworld by the end of the year. “This is another major step as we will be the first carrier from the Gulf to join a global airline’s alliance”, stressed Mr. Al Baker.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
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