Qatar Airways’ long-standing CEO Al Baker to step down
Akbar Al Baker, the outspoken chief executive officer who built Qatar Airways into one of the world’s premier airlines, plans to step down in November after more than a quarter century in the role, according to people familiar with the matter. Akbar Al Baker, the CEO of Qatar Airways, plans to step down in November after more than a quarter century in the role, according to people familiar with the matter. The announcement was made in a memo to staff and confirmed to them that he will leave on Nov 5. Badr Al Meer, the COO of the Doha Hamad International Airport, will replace Al Baker as CEO. Al Baker joined Qatar Airways in 1997 and has since built the airline into one of the world's premier airlines, flying from Doha to over 150 destinations across the world. His dedication to delivering a premium experience has won plaudits from customers and led to clashes with manufacturers Airbus SE and Boeing Co. Despite recent controversies, including the strip-searched search of several women off Qatar Airways flights in 2020 and comments at a 2018 event that a woman could not perform his role as a man in a challenging position.
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(Oct 23): Akbar Al Baker, the outspoken chief executive officer who built Qatar Airways into one of the world’s premier airlines, plans to step down in November after more than a quarter century in the role, according to people familiar with the matter.
The CEO told staff in a memo he will leave on Nov 5, the people said, seeking anonymity, because the decision hasn’t been announced.
“It has been an incredible privilege to lead such an exceptional global team, and the honour of a lifetime to serve my country,” the CEO said in the memo, according to aviation consultant Alex Macheras, who posted the excerpt earlier on X.
A Qatar Airways official had no immediate comment. Badr Al Meer, the chief operating officer of the Doha Hamad International Airport, will replace Al Baker as the CEO, according to Macheras.
Al Baker joined what was then a three-year-old regional carrier in 1997, and built it into a long-distance powerhouse challenging Gulf rival Emirates Airline, which was well on its way to turning Dubai into a global crossroads. Qatar Airways now flies from its base in Doha to more than 150 destinations, from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand.
Al Baker’s devotion to delivering a premium experience has won plaudits from customers — Qatar has been ranked first or second in Airline of the Year by consulting firm Skytrax since 2011 — but led to clashes with manufacturers Airbus SE and Boeing Co. Most recently, Al Baker went to court with Airbus over an issue with flaking paint on wide-body A350 jets. The matter was settled in February this year, after a tense stand-off which saw Al Baker turn to Boeing for jets after Airbus cancelled some orders.
He also courted controversy with comments at a 2018 event that a woman could not do his job “because it is a very challenging position”. Al Baker later apologised.
The airline came under fire in 2020, when several women were taken off Qatar Airways flights, and strip-searched after a baby was found abandoned in a toilet at Hamad International. The airline has said it was the police who made the decision to carry out the searches, rather than airline or airport staff.
Al Baker’s retirement has been anticipated for several years, but he has always said he would step down when asked to.
विषय: Business Leaders, Aviation, Airlines, Qatar