Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is the main airline of the country of Qatar. It was started by the government of Qatar in 1993 and has always been owned by the government. The airline’s home is in a tall building called the Qatar Airways Tower in the city of Doha.

From its home base at Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways flies to many places around the world using a special plan called a hub-and-spoke network. Today, the airline has more than 200 planes and employs over 43,000 people.

Qatar Airways is part of a group of airlines called Oneworld, joining them in October 2013. Since 2015, its slogan has been “Going Places Together.”

History

Origin

From 1974 until May 2002, the State of Qatar was a joint-owner member of Gulf Air along with Oman, the UAE state of Abu Dhabi, and the Kingdom of Bahrain. It became the first among the three countries to withdraw from the airline, although it remained a member of Gulf Air for six months after the government announced its complete termination.

Foundation

Qatar Airways was established by the government of Qatar on November 22, 1993; operations began on January 20, 1994. Amman was the airline's first destination in May 1994. In April 1995, CEO Sheikh Hamad Bin Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani had 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, Madras, Manila, Muscat, Sharjah, Taipei, Tokyo and Trivandrum. During 1995, two ex-All Nippon Airways Boeing 747s were purchased from Boeing. The airline acquired a second-hand Boeing 747SP from Air Mauritius in 1996.

Services to Athens, Istanbul, Madras and Tunis were discontinued in late 1996, whereas Calcutta and Muscat were removed from the route network in January and September 1997, respectively. Flights to London were launched during 1997. 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. A new logo was also revealed with the introduction of the new aircraft. A third A300-600R joined the fleet shortly afterwards, also on lease from AWAS. 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. 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; these latter four aircraft were aimed at replacing the Boeing 727-200 Advanced fleet. The airline took delivery of the first A320 powered by Aero Engines V2500 on lease from SALE in February 1999.

2000s

A fourth A300-600R on lease from AWAS joined the fleet in April 2000. In October 2000, Qatar Airways ordered an International Aero Engines V2500-powered Airbus A319CJ and took an option for another aircraft of the type. The airline became the Airbus A380's ninth customer in 2001 when two aircraft of the type were ordered, plus two options. Also that year, the airline resumed services to Jakarta. A year later, in May, Qatar withdrew from Gulf Air to ensure the development of its national airline.

In June 2003, Qatar Airways was the first airline that resumed international services to Iraq when it flew the Doha–Basra route. Also that month, the airline incorporated its first dedicated cargo aircraft into the fleet. It was an Airbus A300-600R that was converted to freighter in Germany for US$10 million. Also in June 2003 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. The deal included eight A330-200s and six -300s; it also included options for further six A330-300s and eight A340-600s. The first aircraft were scheduled to enter the fleet in 2004, with the A340-600 slated for delivery in 2006. During the year the airline started serving the Chinese market with the introduction of flights to Shanghai. Also in 2003, the carrier expanded its portfolio of destinations with the commencement of services to Manchester in April, Tripoli in November, and Cebu and Singapore in December. 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. It was also in 2003 that Qatar Airways became the first airline to be audited under the new IATA operational audit programme, IOSA.

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 in March 2004. The FY2004 saw the airline transporting 3.35 million passengers. Zürich became the carrier's 53rd destination worldwide in July 2004; Yangon was added to the list of destinations in December the same year. A new service to Osaka was launched in March 2005. 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 Airbus A350-800s and 20 aircraft of the –900 and –1000 variant, respectively, with the first aircraft initially slated for delivery in 2013. The agreement was firmed up in June during the 2007 Paris Air Show; three more Airbus A380s were also made part of the order. In July of 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 that it had placed an order for a number of these new aircraft. 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. The airline took delivery of its first 335-seater Boeing 777-300ER in late November 2007. The route network grew further during 2007 with the incorporation of Newark in June, Nagpur —the carrier's seventh destination in India— in September, and Stockholm in November. A new scheduled service to New York-JFK commenced in November 2008 replaced the Newark route. The first two Boeing 777-200LRs were handed over by the aircraft manufacturer in February 2009. On June 15 of the same year, at the Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways ordered 20 Airbus A320 and four Airbus A321 aircraft worth $1.9bn. On October 12, 2009, the company completed the world's first commercial passenger flight powered by a fuel made from natural gas. Also in 2009, Qatar Airways launched its first scheduled flights to Australia with Melbourne being the first city served; routes to Chengdu, Hangzhou, Phnom Penh and Clark International Airport in the Philippines were launched during 2009 as well.

2010s

Tokyo-Narita was first served by the carrier in April 2010. 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. 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. Service to Baku and Tbilisi, originally planned for 2011, was delayed until February 1, 2012, due to "operational issues".

Boeing's handover of a Boeing 777-200LR in September 2011 marked Qatar Airways receiving its 100th aircraft from this aircraft manufacturer. In November the same year, at the Dubai Airshow, the airline ordered 55 Airbus planes: 50 A320neo and five A380, in addition to two Boeing 777 freighters.

In July 2012, Perth became the second city served in Australia. On October 8, 2012, Qatar Airways announced it would join Oneworld within the forthcoming 18 months. The entrance of the carrier into the alliance was mentored by British Airways. The joining ceremony took place on October 29, 2013.

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; it was the first delivered to a Middle Eastern airline. The aircraft was deployed on the Doha–Dubai corridor on November 20. Dreamliner services on the long-haul Doha–London-Heathrow route commenced on December 13, with the airline becoming the first one to offer regular services to the United Kingdom using this aircraft. During 2013, Qatar Airways launched flights to Gassim in Saudi Arabia, Basra and Najaf in Iraq, Phnom Penh, Salalah and Chicago. Services to Ethiopia began in September 2013.

In February 2013, Qatar Airways opened its European Customer Service centre in Wrocław, Poland.

In June 2013, the airline firmed up an order for two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft plus seven options. On November 17, 2013, the first day of the Dubai Airshow, Qatar Airways purchased 50 Boeing 777-9Xs. 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. Deliveries of the passenger aircraft are expected to start in 2020.

Following the assumption of power by emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in June 2013, Qatar Airways became fully state-owned. The 50% stake previously owned by former prime minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani and other stakeholders was bought out by the government. This coincided with Hamad bin Jassim leaving his other public positions, such as those of foreign minister and chief executive of the Qatar Investment Authority, after Tamim became emir.

An all-business class flight to London-Heathrow was launched in May 2014 with Airbus A319LR aircraft. Flights to Edinburgh were launched in May 2014. The carrier expected to take delivery of its first three Airbus A380 aircraft in June 2014, with plans for the aircraft to be displayed at the Farnborough Air Show. There were intentions to first deploy the type on the Doha–London-Heathrow route starting June 17; another two undisclosed European points would likely become served with the A380. In late May 2014, it was reported that the delivery of the aircraft would be delayed by several weeks. Further delays shifted the start of A380 services to London to August 1, 2014. Delivery of the first aircraft of the type finally took place on September 16, 2014. A380 services to London commenced in October 2014. 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.

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. In June 2015, it was disclosed that Qatar Airways had ordered ten Boeing 777-8Xs and four additional Boeing 777Fs for US$4.18 billion.

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.

In January 2016, the carrier received its first Boeing 747 nose loader. 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. 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. Qatar Airways has denied allegations that subsidies were received and Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker condemned the accusations.

As of February 5, 2017, the airline had the longest regularly scheduled flight of a commercial airline, between Doha and Auckland. On September 1, 2017, it was announced that Qatar Airways bought 49% of AQA Holding, the new shareholder of Meridiana.

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. 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. 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." 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. Since then, Al Baker has apologised for his comments in a statement that was provided to The Independent.

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.

2020s

In July 2023, the Government of Australia blocked an expansion plan from Qatar Airways that would have seen the carrier double its flights to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The government intervention was supported by Australian flag-carrier and rival airline Qantas, who argued that Qatar's flights would "distort the market", while the government dismissed criticism from Qatar Airways and tourism operators, stating that Qatar Airways' route expansion is against Australia's national interest.

In October 2023, Qatar Airways announced a collaboration with Starlink to provide high-speed in-flight internet.

In March 2024, Qatar Airways announced Sama 2.0, an "AI cabin crew." In August 2024 a 25% shareholding in Airlink was acquired.

In February 2025, Qatar Airways acquired a 25% stake in Virgin Australia Holdings.

Corporate affairs

Business trends

Qatar Airways shows important changes each year in its financial reports, which cover the time from April to March.

Key people

Since November 2023, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer has been the leader of Qatar Airways. He took over from Akbar Al Baker, who was the leader from 1996 until 2023.

Ownership and subsidiaries

The government of Qatar has fully owned Qatar Airways since 2013. By March 2023, more than 48,000 people worked for the airline, with 32,000 directly for Qatar Airways. The airline has many parts, such as Qatar Aircraft Catering Company and Doha International Airport.

Divisions

Cargo

Qatar Airways Cargo is the world's third largest carrier for goods. It started special cargo flights in 2009 and added more routes over the years.

Qatar Executive

Qatar Executive is a part of Qatar Airways that handles special flights for businesses, with its own unique design.

Al Maha Airways

Al Maha Airways was planned to serve Saudi Arabia but was cancelled in 2017 due to problems with getting permission to operate.

Livery

Qatar Airways uses the oryx, Qatar's national animal, as its logo. The airline’s design includes the word “Qatar” in burgundy letters on the plane, with the oryx shown on the tail.

Natural gas to liquid fuel demonstration

In 2009, Qatar Airways made history by using a special mix of fuels on a flight from London to Doha. This showed that jet fuel could come from natural gas, which is important for Qatar, the world’s biggest exporter of natural gas.

Sponsorships

Qatar Airways supports many events and teams around the world. It has sponsored weather forecasts, football clubs like FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich, and many other sports events and teams.

Investments

Qatar Airways has invested in many airlines and projects around the world. It owns parts of International Airlines Group, RwandAir, LATAM Airlines Group, and Cathay Pacific, among others. It also supports sports events and youth programs.

Destinations

Main article: List of Qatar Airways destinations

Qatar Airways flies to over 90 countries on all six inhabited continents, including 13 destinations in India and 11 in the United States.

In 2012, fourteen more destinations were added to the Qatar Airways network: Addis Ababa, Baghdad, Belgrade, Erbil, Gassim, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Maputo, Mombasa, Perth, Saint Petersburg, Warsaw, Yangon, and Zagreb.

On May 27, 2014, the touchdown of a flight from Bahrain at Doha's Hamad International Airport marked the official transfer of Qatar Airways' operations to its new hub, replacing Doha International Airport. As of December 2014^[update], Qatar Airways served 146 points worldwide following the launch of flights to Asmara. The airline had previously added to the route network Dallas/Fort Worth, the carrier's seventh destination in the United States and its second in Texas along with Houston, Tokyo (Haneda), Miami, Edinburgh, its third destination in the United Kingdom, Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, its third point served in Turkey, and Djibouti. Starting June 2015, the carrier will serve Amsterdam. Starting December 2015, it was announced that the airline would serve Durban.

Qatar Airways began another route to Australia, with a non-stop service from Adelaide being launched in 2016. Introducing the Airbus A350 aircraft to Australia, the service was then operated by a Boeing 777-300ER.

In June 2017, all Qatar Airways flights were prevented from entering Emirati, Saudi Arabian, Bahrain and Egyptian airports due to the 2017 diplomatic crisis. All airlines in those countries had already suspended operations in Qatar's airspace and airports. This ban was in effect until January 2021, when it was lifted.

On June 18, 2019, Qatar Airways launched its first flight from Doha to Davao, Philippines.

On July 1, three months after announcing Doha-Mogadishu flights, Qatar Airways launched its first flight to Somalia.

In August 2019, the company introduced flights to Langkawi, as a part of its expansion plans in Southeast Asia. The route is Qatar Airways' third destination in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

In September 2020, Qatar Airways suspended flights to both Birmingham Airport and Cardiff Airport due to low demand because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. Flights to Birmingham Airport and Cardiff Airport were scheduled to restart on March 28, 2021, however the flight to Birmingham was only restarted on the July 6, 2023, and the flight to Cardiff never restarted.

In January 2021, the embargo was lifted and Qatar Airways was again able to fly to countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain and use their respective airspace.

As of January 25, 2021, Qatar Airways' network spreads across 120 destinations after the settlement of Qatar's airspace dispute with neighbouring Gulf countries. The carrier plans to expand its network to reach 130 routes by March 2021.

On July 24, 2021, Qatar Airways resumed service to Cebu after eight years of absence. Cebu, the second largest city in the Philippines, became the third destination in the country to be served by Qatar Airways.

On 1 September 2023, Qatar Airways re-introduced the route from Doha to Auckland with frequency of 7 times per week using its Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. The route is known to be the third longest non-stop direct flights in the world, at a distance of 9,032 air miles.

On January 7, 2025, following the tension ease in Syria, Qatar Airways resumed its schedule of three weekly flights to Damascus after 13 years of absence, helping Syria reconnect with major destinations in the region. Subsequently, Qatar Airways announced the resumption of operations to Malta beginning 2 July 2025, servicing the route with its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.

In March 2025, Qatar Airways announced that it is expanding its services to meet the anticipated summer travel surge by increasing flights to 11 global destinations. Starting October 27, the airline will operate eight daily flights to London Heathrow, totalling 56 weekly flights. Services to Male in the Maldives will increase from 13 to 28 weekly flights by late December. Additionally, beginning December 16, flights to Miami will rise to twelve weekly, and Tokyo will see eleven weekly flights.

Codeshare agreements

Qatar Airways has codeshare agreements with the following airlines and train systems:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Botswana
• Air Malta
• Air Serbia
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Asiana Airlines
• Azerbaijan Airlines
• Bangkok Airways
• British Airways
• Bulgaria Air
• Cathay Pacific
• China Southern Airlines
• Deutsche Bahn (railway)
• Finnair
• Garuda Indonesia
• Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes
• Iberia
• IndiGo
• Japan Airlines
• JetBlue
• Kenya Airways
• LATAM Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Middle East Airlines
• Oman Air
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• RwandAir
• S7 Airlines
• SUN-AIR
• SNCF (railway)
• SriLankan Airlines
• Virgin Australia
• Vueling
• XiamenAir

Fleet

Qatar Airways has a large group of airplanes, including smaller ones and bigger ones. Some of the planes they use are the Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A350, Airbus A380, Boeing 737 MAX, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In total, they have 230 airplanes.

Cabin

First class

First class seats have special features like massage options and an entertainment system. This class is only found on the A380 planes and includes very large seats (about 90 inches) that can turn into a flat bed for sleeping. Each seat also has its own TV screen.

Business class

Business class passengers get seats that turn into flat beds with easy access to the aisle. These seats are on Airbus A380, Airbus A350, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 planes. On other planes, the seats can also lay flat and have massage options.

In 2017, Qatar Airways introduced a new business class called "Qsuite." These seats have doors and can be arranged so passengers can face each other like in a small dining room. Some pairs of seats can even be turned into a double bed.

Economy class

Economy class seats are about 34 inches apart, giving passengers enough space. On A330 planes, each seat has its own TV screen. On Airbus A350, A380, Boeing 777, and 787 planes, passengers can use touch-screen entertainment systems.

Qatar Airways has added personal TV screens to many A320 planes in economy class. New economy seats were introduced on the 787 planes. These seats are a bit narrower and have smaller screens, but they also offer Wi‑Fi and places to charge devices.

In-flight entertainment

Qatar Airways’ entertainment system is called Oryx One. Most planes have personal TV screens for each passenger to watch shows and movies. Some smaller planes show entertainment on a main screen instead.

The airline also offers Wi‑Fi on many of its planes, including all A380, A350, B777, B787, A319, and some A320, A321, and A330 aircraft. Passengers can use Starlink Wi‑Fi for free on all B777 planes.

Lounges

In 2015, Qatar Airways opened the Al Safwa First Lounge for its first-class passengers.

The airline's first lounge outside Doha opened at London Heathrow's Terminal 4 in January 2012. In April 2016, it opened a new Premium Lounge at Dubai-International's Concourse D. In January 2017, Qatar Airways opened another new premium lounge at Charles de Gaulle Airport. This was the airline's third international lounge. The lounge can hold up to 200 passengers and has two terraces, one for smoking.

Controversies

Treatment of employees

Qatar Airways has faced questions about how it treats its workers. Some say that the pay for airline crew is lower than at other airlines. Workers have also said they feel watched and controlled, and worry about speaking up because they fear losing their jobs.

2020 Doha Airport searches

In 2020, some women on a Qatar Airways flight were asked to go through searches that many found very uncomfortable. This happened after something was found in an airport bathroom. The searches caused upset and led to discussions between Australia and Qatar about what happened.

Hostilities with other Oneworld members

Since joining a group of airlines called Oneworld in 2013, Qatar Airways has had public disagreements with some other members in this group. This includes disputes with American Airlines and Qantas. These disagreements have sometimes led to changes in how the airlines work together and in competition.

Possible involvement in the death of Marc Bennett

In 2022, a British man named Marc Bennett died in Qatar. He had worked for Qatar Airways but left to work for a rival company. After he left, he was arrested and held for three weeks. His family said he was treated very badly during this time. Qatar said that his death was a personal tragedy.

European Union bribery cases

In 2024, a former EU transport chief was investigated for taking free flights from Qatar Airways while discussing important travel rules. This led to questions about whether decisions were fair. In 2026, he was fired for breaking rules about gifts and conflicts of interest.

Sexist remarks by CEO Al Baker

Akbar Al Baker, who was the CEO of Qatar Airways from 1996 to 2023, made some comments that many people thought were unfair to women. For example, in 2017, he made a remark about the age of women working as flight crew, which many found offensive. He later apologized for this comment. In 2018, he also made a comment suggesting that a woman could not handle the job of leading the airline, which he later said was a joke, though he did not fully take back his belief.