Qatar Airways criticises Air Canada; focus shifting to Asia and Middle East: CEO

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker, while addressing the second Doha Aviation Summit, criticised Air Canada stating it was attempting to restrain Qatar Airways' access to the Canadian market (The Peninsula, 01-Nov-2010). Mr Al Baker stated airline companies in the West are facing severe restraints in growth, while the focus of the industry was shifting from Europe to Asia and the Middle East. The CEO also defended Qatar Airways' strategy to operate from a single hub saying that it was the only viable option for the aviation industry in the Gulf given the small size of the countries and their populations. He also called for the introduction of more sophisticated technology to minimise the inconveniences caused by security checks at airports and urged governments not to put additional burden on the aviation industry in the form of taxes which would, in turn, be passed on to passengers.

Qatar Airways: "World airlines companies whether it be Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways or Air Canada do not have the capacity or the capability to grow. They are trying to put the blame on us instead of putting their house in order. The genie is out of the bottle. None can contain our global expansion," Akbar Al Baker, CEO. Source: The Peninsula, 01-Nov-2010.