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Courtesy
of Qatar Airways
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Akbar Al-Baker
CEO, Qatar Airways & Chairman, Qatar Tourism
Authority |
"Qatar may not be a large country, but it
has large ambitions," stated Akbar Al-Baker,
Chief Executive of his country’s national carrier,
Qatar Airways (QA). The State of Qatar earned a
spot in the aviation industry’s record books
at the Paris Air Show last Summer. With a stroke
of his pen, Mr. Al-Baker placed an ambitious order
for 80 new aircraft, 20 of which will be Boeing’s
new 777. All 80 will boast the image of an oryx,
which is the national symbol and QA logo. It is
such aggressive action that has made this relatively
new airline an internationally recognized rising
star.
The award-winning airline is one of the fastest
growing carriers in the world. In less than ten
years, QA has achieved unprecedented growth in fleet
size and passenger numbers. Mr. Al-Baker says this
growth is necessary to stay competitive. He noted,
"Qatar Airways is rapidly expanding its route
network and increasing the number of flights to
existing destinations. It presently offers more
than 300 services a week to 67 destinations across
Europe, the Middle East, the Gulf, North Africa,
the Indian sub-continent and the Far East."
Asked about the prospects of direct flights to the
United States, Mr. Al-Baker said, "The United
States is definitely within our future plans. We
plan to launch flights hopefully next year. Exact
dates, however, have not been determined, as we
are waiting for our long-range aircraft to be delivered."
The airline has matured into a leading force in
regional and global aviation, earning awards for
service and excellence by Skytrax, one of the aviation
industry’s most respected monitoring agencies.
QA was the first carrier in the Middle East to feature
first class seats that convert into flat beds, and
it has one of the most advanced in-flight entertainment
systems available. The airline was also the first
airline in the world to pass the International Air
Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety
Audit with 100 percent compliance.
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Courtesy
of Qatar Airways
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| When completed, the New Doha
International Airport will boast a staggering
80 aircraft gates. |
QA has been chosen as a launch customer by Europe’s
Airbus for delivery of the company’s super
jumbo-jet, the A380, capable of carrying 555 passengers.
Discussing the new plane, Mr. Al-Baker said, "The
New Doha International Airport (NDIA) is scheduled
to open in 2009. This, of course, will coincide
with the delivery date of Qatar Airways’ first
A380. The NDIA was built specifically for the A380
aircraft. We are, however, in the process of upgrading
the current airport facilities in order to keep
up with the influx of passengers. This is temporary,
until the new airport is complete." American
engineering and construction giant Bechtel has been
awarded the main contract to build the new airport,
which will initially have a 26-gate passenger terminal.
By the time the airport is fully operational in
2015, the new facility will have an astonishing
80 aircraft gates.
NDIA will be opened in phases and once finished
in 2015, at a cost of US $5.5 billion, the airport
is expected to handle up to 50 million passengers
a year. One of the project’s most interesting
features is that almost half of it will be built
on reclaimed land, which gives it the illusion of
floating on the Arabian Gulf. QA will manage the
new airport, designed to help shape Doha as a key
regional and global aviation hub.
Tourism is taking on increasing significance in
Qatar. In fact, Mr. Al-Baker is also chiarman of
the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), affording him
the opportunity to closely integrate the growth
of both the national airline and the tourism sector.
He said, "The future of the tourism industry
in Qatar and our airline go hand in hand. Airlines
represent the national identity of their home country.
Qatar Airways is no exception. We are proud to be
the national carrier of Qatar and it is both the
airline’s role and duty to promote Qatar as
a business and tourism destination. We work very
closely with the Qatar Tourism Authority in building
the profile of Qatar."
In line with the fast moving infrastructure development
in Qatar, the airline is growing rapidly and will
meet the needs of the expected influx of tourists
and business travelers into the country. Qatar’s
economy is opening up, foreigners can now invest
in property, and buy stocks and shares, which helps
drive the economy and business for QA. Mr. Al-Baker
said, "QTA is actively working towards establishing
Qatar as one of the world’s quality destinations
for leisure, business, education and sport. Over
the past 12 months, Qatar has hosted more than 80
major sporting events, conferences and exhibitions."
By the time much of NDIA is operational in 2010,
QTA projects that the number of tourists will double;
from the current rate of 700,000 per year to 1.4
million. "For these reasons," Mr. Al Baker
says, "we have created an engineering marvel
in NDIA, which will have a very special impact on
passengers."
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Qatar
