Qatar Airways set to join oneworld by late 2013

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker announced earlier this month the carrier intends to join the oneworld alliance by Oct-2013, only 12 months after it announced that it had been selected for membership. The 2012 announcement that the airline planned to join the alliance system sent ripples of reaction through the aviation landscape of the Middle East, as well as globally, helping to bring about a major commercial reshaping.

Joining oneworld will usher in a new era for Qatar Airways. After years of setting its own path and growth trajectory, the airline has decided to hitch itself to the alliance system, albeit to the most loosely based of the international airline groupings. Its membership is being sponsored by British Airways. The airline's membership in oneworld will see it coordinate flights, schedules and systems with other member airlines, including Iberia, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airlines, LAN and Japan Airlines.