#ALBAKER SPEAKS OUT AT #CAPA EVENT AGAINST AIRSPACE BLOCKADE AGAINST #QATAR
(Posted 06th June 2018)
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Mr. Akbar Al Baker, has today delivered a keynote debate to leading aviation experts and executives from around the world at a Centre for Aviation (CAPA) event in Sydney, addressing attendees on Qatar Airways’ resilience on the anniversary of the illegal blockade against the State of Qatar.
Following on from the close of this year’s IATA AGM in Sydney Mr. Al Baker first took part in the lively on-stage debate alongside Mr. Willie Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of International Airlines Group (IAG), of which Qatar Airways is a shareholder. Mr. Al Baker engaged the audience at the CAPA Airline CEOs in Sydney event, where he provided the keynote address to an international audience.
The CAPA industry events concluded a busy week for Mr. Al Baker, at which he rose to the elected position of Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors, an industry body representing 280 airlines and comprising 83 percent of global air traffic, a position he will hold until the close of the IATA 2019 AGM.
In this capacity Mr. Akbar Al Baker also hosted an international press briefing yesterday, highlighting to international media the importance of fair and transparent regulation in the aviation industry, on a date most pertinent as it marked the first anniversary of the illegal blockade against the State of Qatar by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “This week has brought airline CEO and aviation leaders from around the world together in Sydney for the IATA Annual General Meeting, providing the perfect platform for this Centre for Aviation event, of which I am delighted to have taken part. The aviation industry continues to grow, and events such as the IATA AGM and these Centre for Aviation events, are crucial to bring together leaders from all over the world and enable face-to-face discussion and debate. In my capacity this year as Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors, I will continue to champion such open debate in the name of fairness and regulation in the aviation sector.”
From its home and hub at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar Airways operates a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft to a network of more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across six continents.
The airline plans a host of exciting new destination launches this year, including Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Bodrum and Antalya, Turkey and Málaga, Spain.
The award-winning airline has received a number of recent accolades, including ‘Airline of the Year’ by the prestigious 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards, held at the Paris Air Show. This is the fourth time that Qatar Airways has been given this global recognition as the world’s best airline. In addition to being voted Best Airline by travellers from around the world, Qatar’s national carrier also won a raft of other major awards at the ceremony, including ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge’.
There have been unconfirmed suggestions that the airlines of the countries hostile to Qatar Airways have unsuccessfully tried to block Mr. Al Baker’s ascension to the Chairmanship of IATA at the last minute but, if true, failed in their attempt.
Qatar Airways flies daily between Doha and Entebbe / Uganda and Kigali but also serves Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar across the Eastern African region.
