More partnerships for Qatar

HE Akbar Al Baker, Group CEO, Qatar Airways, says that the airline is keen to pursue more partnerships with other airlines. It will also continue to offer different fares for different classes.

Manas Dwivedi

HE Akbar Al Baker believes that the future of the aviation industry may be slightly grim because once the pandemic is over, there will be fewer airlines still operating. But, he says, Qatar Airways has the capability to carry on. “Post-COVID, we will look at which routes we will reintroduce earlier than others, but we are not going to withdraw from routes permanently. We will have 129 destinations by March. So, you can see the commitment we have towards our industry and our passengers,” Al Baker shares.

“Today,” the Group CEO continues, “we are very close with American Airlines. We are now going to expand our partnerships with other carriers, Air Canada is an example. In our industry, we are not adversaries, we are part of a larger aviation family.”

Qatar airways has signed an expanded code-share agreement with Oman Air to provide more flexible travel options for both airlines’ customers.

The airline has also become the first airline in the world to achieve the five-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. Qatar Airways has also introduced different fare levels for different classes to encourage people to travel. “So, you’ll have different fare classes that you could choose from depending on when you are booking and how close to the date of departure you’re booking. We will not take
advantage of a situation where there are fewer airlines operating or where there is lower capacity available,”Al Baker concludes.