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Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. (Arabic: القطرية, al-Qaṭariya),[4] operating as Qatar Airways, is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Qatar.[5] Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha,[6] the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, flying to over 150[7] international destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania from its base at Hamad International Airport, using a fleet of more than 200 aircraft. Qatar Airways Group employs more than 43,000 people.
A Qatar Airways 727-200 at Dubai International Airport in 1996.
Qatar was a joint-owner member of Bahrain-based Gulf Air along with Oman, the UAE Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and Kingdom of Bahrain, until its May 2002 withdrawal, making it the first Gulf country to withdraw from the airline, although it remained a member of the airline for six months after the government announced its withdrawal.[8][9]
Qatar Airways was established by the government of Qatar on November 22, 1993;[10] operations started on January 20, 1994.[11] Amman was first served in May 1994.[12] In April 1995, the airline's CEO was the Sheikh Hamad Bin Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani who employed a staff of 75. By this time the fleet consisted of two Airbus A310s that served a route network including Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Cairo, Dubai, Khartoum, Kuwait, London,[contradictory] Madras, Manila, Muscat, Osaka,[contradictory] Sharjah, Taipei, Tokyo and Trivandrum.[11] During 1995, two ex-All Nippon Airways Boeing 747s were bought from Boeing.[13][14] The airline acquired a second-hand Boeing 747SP from Air Mauritius in 1996.[15][16]
A Qatar Airways Airbus A320-200 in old livery.
Services to Athens, Istanbul, Madras and Tunis were suspended in late 1996, whereas Calcutta and Muscat were removed from the route network in January and September 1997, respectively.[17] Flights to London were launched during 1997.[18] The airline also took delivery of two second-hand 231-seater Airbus A300-600R aircraft on lease from Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services (AWAS) during the year; they replaced two Boeing 747s. The entering of these two A300s into the fleet also marked the introduction of a new logo.[19] A third A300-600R joined the fleet shortly afterwards, also on lease from AWAS.[20] In July 1998 the carrier placed a firm order with Airbus for six Airbus A320s, slated for delivery between 2001 and 2005; it also took options for five more aircraft of the type.[21][22] Also in 1998, the carrier struck a deal with Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE) for the lease of four Airbus A320s, with deliveries scheduled between February and April 1999;[23] these latter four aircraft were aimed at replacing the Boeing 727-200 Advanced fleet and to fill the capacity gap before the hand over of the first A320 from Airbus.[22] The airline took delivery of the first A320 powered by Aero Engines V2500 on lease from SALE in February 1999.[24]
Airbus A340-600. The airline became a customer for the type in 2003.[25]
A fourth A300-600R on lease from AWAS joined the fleet in April 2000.[26] In October 2000, Qatar Airways ordered an International Aero Engines V2500-powered Airbus A319CJ and took an option for another aircraft of the type.[27] The airline became the Airbus A380's ninth customer in 2001 when two aircraft of the type were ordered, plus two options.[28] Also that year, the airline resumed services to Jakarta.[29] A year later, in May, Qatar withdrew from Gulf Air to ensure the development of its national airline.
In June 2003, a Qatar Airways Airbus A320 was the first aircraft that resumed the international services to Iraq when it flew the Doha–Basra route.[30] Also that month, Qatar Airways incorporated its first dedicated cargo aircraft to the fleet. It was an Airbus A300-600R that was converted to freighter in Germany for US$10 million.[31] Also in June 2003,[25] at the Paris Air Show, the carrier placed an order with Airbus valued at US$5.1 billion for two Airbus A321s, 14 Airbus A330s and two Airbus A340-600s.[32][33] The deal included eight A330-200s and six -300s;[25] it also included options for further six A330-300s and eight A340-600s.[25] The first aircraft were scheduled to enter the fleet in 2004, with the A340-600 slated for delivery in 2006.[25] During the year the airline started serving the Chinese market with the introduction of flights to Shanghai.[34] Also in 2003, the carrier expanded its portfolio of destinations with the commencement of services to Manchester in April,[35] Tripoli in November,[36] and Cebu and Singapore in December.[37] During the 2003 Dubai Air Show the airline firmed up an earlier commitment for two Airbus A380s and took options for another two of these aircraft. The value of the transaction was US$1.2 billion.[38] It was also in 2003 that Qatar Airways became the first airline to be audited under the new IATA operational audit programme, IOSA.[39]
Qatar Airways A380
The Qatar Airways Group —which included Qatar Airways, Doha International Airport and corporate business air services, ground handling and in-flight catering companies— reported its first profit ever for the fiscal year (FY) that ended on March 2004. The FY2004 saw the airline transporting 3.35 million passengers.[40] Zurich became the carrier's 53rd destination worldwide in July 2004;[41] Yangon was added to the list of destinations in December the same year.[42] A new service to Osaka was launched in March 2005.[43][44] Its first A340 was delivered on September 8, 2006.
In May 2007, Qatar Airways and Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the acquisition of 80 Airbus A350 XWBs, including 20 A350-800s plus 40 and 20 aircraft of the –900 and –1000 variant, respectively, with the first aircraft initially slated for delivery in 2013.[45] The agreement was firmed up in June during the 2007 Paris Air Show;[46] three more Airbus A380s were also made part of the order.[47] In July the same year, during the unveiling ceremony of the Boeing 787 in Everett, Qatar Airways was recognised as a future customer for the type when its logo appeared on one side of the brand new aircraft. By that time, the airline had not acknowledged it had placed an order for a number of these new aircraft.[48] In November the same year, a firm order for 30 Boeing 787-8s, plus options for 35 more aircraft of the –9 or –10 variant, was confirmed. The order also included 14 Boeing 777-300ERs, six Boeing 777-200LRs and seven Boeing 777Fs, whereas five more aircraft of the type were on option. The combined order was valued at US$13.5 billion.[49][50] The airline took delivery of its first 335-seater Boeing 777-300ER in late November 2007.[51] The route network grew further during 2007 with the incorporation of Newark in June,[52] Nagpur —the carrier's seventh destination in India— in September,[53] and Stockholm in November.[54] A new scheduled service to New York-JFK that commenced in November 2008 replaced the Newark route.[52] The first two Boeing 777-200LRs were handed over by the aircraft manufacturer in February 2009.[55] On June 15 the same year, at the Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways ordered 20 Airbus A320 and 4 Airbus A321 aircraft worth $1.9bn.[56] On October 12, 2009, the company completed the world's first commercial passenger flight powered by a fuel made from natural gas.[57] Also in 2009, Qatar Airways launched its first scheduled flights to Australia with Melbourne being the first city served;[58] routes to Chengdu, Hangzhou, Phnom Penh and Clark International Airport in the Philippines were launched during 2009 as well.[44]
Tokyo-Narita was first served by the carrier in April 2010.[44] On May 18, 2010, the airline put its first Boeing 777F (A7-BFA) into service, with a flight from Doha to Amsterdam. The aircraft had been delivered on May 14, 2010.[59] The airline has launched 22 new destinations since 2010, with nine more destinations announced: Ankara, Aleppo, Bangalore, Barcelona, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Hanoi, Montreal, Nice, Phuket, São Paulo, Shiraz, Kolkata, Medina, Oslo, Sofia, Stuttgart, Venice and Tokyo. Qatar Airways also launched Benghazi and Entebbe during 2011.[60] Service to Baku and Tbilisi, originally planned for 2011, was delayed until February 1, 2012, due to "operational issues".[61]
Boeing's handover of a Boeing 777-200LR in September 2011 marked Qatar Airways receiving its 100th aircraft from this aircraft manufacturer.[62] In November the same year, at the Dubai Airshow, the airline ordered 55 Airbus planes: 50 A320neo and 5 A380, in addition to two Boeing 777 freighters.[63]
In July 2012, Perth became the second city served in Australia.[58] On October 8, 2012, Qatar Airways announced it would join Oneworld within the forthcoming 18 months.[64][65] The entrance of the carrier into the alliance was mentored by British Airways. The joining ceremony took place on October 29, 2013 and Qatar Airways became the first major Persian Gulf carrier to join an airline alliance.[66]
On November 12, 2012 Qatar Airways became the seventh carrier worldwide to acquire the Dreamliner, when Boeing handed over the airline's first aircraft of the type;[67] it was the first delivered to a Middle Eastern airline.[68] The aircraft was deployed on the Doha–Dubai corridor on Nov. 20[69] Dreamliner services on the long-haul Doha–London-Heathrow route commenced on Dec 13, with the airline becoming the first one to offer regular services to the United Kingdom using this aircraft.[70][71] During 2013, Qatar Airways launched flights to Gassim in Saudi Arabia, Basra and Najaf in Iraq, Phnom Penh,[nb 1] Salalah and Chicago.[72] Services to Ethiopia began in September 2013.[73]
In February 2013, Qatar Airways opened its European Customer Service centre, which is in Wrocław, Poland.[74][75]
In June 2013, the airline firmed up an order for two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft plus seven options.[76] On November 17, 2013, the first day of the Dubai Airshow, Qatar Airways purchased 50 Boeing 777-9Xs.[77] The commitment was firmed up during the 2014 Farnborough Air Show in a deal worth US$18.9 billion; purchase rights for another 50 aircraft of the type were also taken. In addition, the transaction included firm orders for four Boeing 777Fs plus options for another four with a combined value of US$2.7 billion.[78] Deliveries of the passenger aircraft are expected to start in 2020.[79]
Qatar Airways' flight attendants.
In 2013, The Economist claimed that "a perusal of online forums used by cabin crew suggests that Qatar has a reputation for severity among industry professionals, including "allegations of harsh treatment and overbearing scrutiny are commonplace", and that "the conditions laid down by Qatar Airways go beyond more familiar rules ... the employee can be fired if she becomes pregnant (which she is contractually obliged to disclose 'from the date of her knowledge of its occurrence')".[80] The airways' CEO Akbar Al Baker has previously stated, "We are not running an intelligence agency, we are an airline company. The reason why I know everything happening in the company is ... I'm simply everywhere, talking to everyone, listening to them".[81]
In 2014, the Swedish newspaper Expressen published a report ostensibly based around three Qatar Airways employees, whose lives were allegedly heavily "monitored" and "controlled" by the company.[82] Qatar Airways' Swedish PR agency responded to the report by stating, "Because we do not know which individuals and which particular cases the article is based on, Qatar Airways is unable to comment".[82] CEO Akbar Al Baker stated that the allegations "are not against [the company] but against [Qatar]". He added, "They are throwing stones at my country for no reason at all".[83]
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has "slammed" Qatar Airways for certain stipulations found in the standard hiring contracts for female cabin crew members, including the need to apply for permission before getting married.[83] The ITF has lobbied the International Civil Aviation Organization to "take action" on what ITF termed “flagrant abuses of aviation workers’ labour rights" by carriers based in Qatar and the UAE.[83]
An all-business class flight to London-Heathrow was launched in May 2014 with Airbus A319LR aircraft.[84][85][86] Flights to Edinburgh were launched in May 2014.[18][87] The carrier expected to take delivery of its first three Airbus A380 aircraft in June 2014,[88] with plans for the aircraft to be displayed at the Farnborough Air Show.[89] There were intentions to first deploy the type on the Doha–London-Heathrow route starting jun 17;[90][91] another two undisclosed European points would likely become served with the A380.[92] In late May 2014, it was reported the delivery of the aircraft would be delayed by several weeks.[93] Further delays shifted the start of A380 services to London to August 1, 2014.[94][95] Delivery of the first aircraft of the type finally took place on 16 September 2014.[96] A380 services to London commenced in October 2014.[97][98][99] The airline became the launch customer for the A350 XWB; the first Airbus A350-900 was handed over to the company on December 22, 2014 and had its first revenue flight to Frankfurt almost a month later, on January 15, 2015.[100][101][102]
In August 2015, Qatar Airways was forced to relax its policy of sacking cabin crew for getting pregnant or marrying in their first five years of employment. A spokeswoman stated, “our policies have evolved with the airline's growth”. Under the new regulations, “we will provide an opportunity for someone to continue working in a ground position”, the spokeswoman said.[103]
In January 2015, the airline concluded an order for four Boeing 777Fs in a deal worth US$1.24 billion; Qatar Airways also took purchase rights on four more aircraft of the type.[104][105] In June 2015, it was disclosed Qatar Airways ordered ten Boeing 777-8Xs and four additional Boeing 777Fs for US$4.18 billion.[106][107][108]
In January 2016, the carrier received its first Boeing 747 nose loader.[109]
In 2016, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines claimed that their forensic investigators had uncovered documents that allegedly indicated that Qatar Airways had received more than $7 billion in aid from the Qatari government.[110]
According to reports, the investigation was conducted by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. In July 2016, the U.S. Department of State held talks with Qatar government officials regarding the allegations of unfair competition. No formal action was taken by the Department of State.[111] Qatar Airways has denied allegations that subsidies were received and Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker condemned the accusations.[112][113][114]
As of 5 February 2017, the airline had the longest regularly scheduled flight of a commercial airline, between Doha and Auckland.[115]
In September 1, 2017, it was announced that Qatar Airways bought 49% of AQA Holding, the new shareholder of Meridiana.[116]
In November 2018, the airline announced it would expand its flights to Iran, landing at Tehran and Shiraz, as of January 2019, and to Isfahan in February.[117]
In December 2018, the CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, threatened to pull the company out of the Oneworld alliance in February, following accusations that alliance members Qantas and American Airlines engaged in "hostile business practices" against his carrier.[118]
In 2018, during an annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association, the CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, claimed that a woman could not do his job as “it is a very challenging position.”[119] Upon receiving backlash regarding his comments, Al Baker explained that he did not intend to refer to all women at Qatar Airways. He also mentioned that he would love to have a female CEO running the company after him.[119] Since then, Al Baker has apologized for his comments in a statement that was provided to The Independent.[120]
On April 30, 2019, Qatar Airways retired its last Airbus A340-600 from service after around 16 years of service. The last flight was QR835 from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Hamad International Airport. The removal from service was to lower the age of its fleet as well as its ineffectiveness compared to the Boeing 777 as stated by CEO Akbar Al Baker in 2009.[121]
On 29 September 2022, The Times published an article stating the death of British travel industry executive, Marc Bennet, in Qatar. On 24 December 2019, Bennet was found hanged in hotel of Doha. According to the investigation by The Times, Bennet was arrested after resigning from a senior post with Qatar Airways for a rival firm in Saudi Arabia.[122] Qatar Airways told The Times - "On 15 October Marc left the business and evidence subsequently came to light showing that over a significant period of time Marc had emailed highly confidential documents relating to Qatar Airways to a private email address without authorization. Marc was still in Qatar at the point this discovery was made. He was arrested and this then became a police matter."[123] However, Qatari authorities claimed that he had committed suicide and Qatar airways stated - “Marc Bennet was a valued and popular former colleague of Qatar airways group. He left with our best wishes.”[124]
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