At the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic this year, when many airlines around the world tied up their planes and closed their routes, the national carrier Qatar Airways continued to fly, adding new destinations and meeting the needs of thousands of passengers.
As it tackles one of the most difficult and extraordinary 12 months in the airline’s nearly 25-year history, Qatar Airways has shown its strength, resilience and commitment.
Qatar Airways has played a key role in providing a lifeline for many during the pandemic, providing vaccines, PPE, medical equipment and even e-commerce.
This year, Qatar Airways won the “Airline of the Year” award at the 2021 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organization, Skytrax.
In 2021, Qatar Airways also became the “world’s first global airline” to achieve the “prestigious” five-star Covid-19 aviation safety rating by the international air travel rating organization, Skytrax.
The national airline’s Hamad International Airport (HIA) was named “World’s Best Airport” at the Skytrax 2021 World Airport Awards.
HIA has steadily increased in the ranking of “Best Airports in the World” since the start of its operations in 2014.
The expansion of Hamad International Airport is one month ahead of schedule and will be completed by September 2022, increasing annual passenger capacity by 20 minutes.
Qatar Airways was the first GCC carrier to join the oneworld global airline alliance, providing passengers with access to more than 1,000 airports in more than 160 countries, with 14,250 daily departures.
Qatar Airways Cargo, one of the world’s leading international air cargo carriers, serves more than 60 cargo destinations around the world through its world-class hub in Doha and also delivers cargo in the lower deck of passenger aircraft to a extensive network.
Recently, Qatar Airways became the first carrier to transact on the IATA Aviation Carbon Exchange (ACE) using IATA Clearing House (ICH).
The IATA Aviation Carbon Exchange (ACE) is a centralized marketplace where airlines and other aviation stakeholders can trade CO2 emission reduction units for the purpose of compliance or voluntary offset. With a secure and easy-to-use business environment, ACE offers the greatest transparency in terms of pricing and availability of emission reduction units while simplifying the process for airlines to access carbon markets to meet their carbon targets. decarbonization.
Qatar Airways said last month it was considering carbon-neutral growth and seeking help from fuel suppliers to deliver sustainable and affordable aviation fuel (SAF).
Group Managing Director HE Akbar al-Baker said during a media event at Doha International Airport in November: “We are already providing good value for our passengers with the kind of product we are offering. propose. At the same time, it is important for us that our growth remains carbon neutral. ”
Al-Baker also said Qatar Airways would “immediately place” a large order for freighters to meet the needs of the national airline’s cargo business.
“We are seriously considering placing a large freight order, a freight order, because… as we are also expanding our freight business, we need to be sustainable in this area and we will be placing a large freight order shortly”, a- he added. -Said Baker.
In November, Qatar Airways showcased its role as a global launch customer for the latest generation of Boeing 777-9 aircraft after welcoming the state-of-the-art, fuel-efficient jet to Doha International Airport (DIA).
The aircraft, expected to join the award-winning airline’s fleet in the near future, will be the world’s largest and most efficient jet, with fuel consumption and emissions 20% lower than generation aircraft. former. The key technologies enabling this efficiency are its new carbon fiber composite wing, its new engines and its natural laminar flow nacelles.
Recently, British Airways and Qatar Airways marked the “next step” in their joint business partnership, announcing their intention to expand their joint business.
This month, Qatar Executive, the private jet charter division of Qatar Airways Group, took delivery of three more Gulfstream G650ER aircraft, reaffirming its position as the largest owner-operator of state-of-the-art jets, with a total of 11 devices in its fleet. The three aircraft will operate on strategic ultra-long-haul routes to Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe.
In November, Qatar Airways returned its Airbus A380 to service to alleviate fleet capacity issues for the peak winter season.
It was the first time in more than 18 months earlier this week that a Qatar Airways Airbus A380 took off, positioning the aircraft from Doha International Airport (DIA) to Hamad International Airport (HIA ) after the airline reluctantly made the decision to welcome the fleet back into service due to the current capacity shortage.
Al-Baker said: “With regard to the preparation of Hamad International Airport, we are on the right track. We will increase the airport’s (annual) capacity by 20 million passengers – to accommodate over 58 million passengers. It’s a world-class facility that we’re putting together – and in fact, we don’t want to be number two anymore. “
“We always want to be the best airport in the world. And that’s exactly what we’re aiming for… and that’s what we’re going to deliver.
Qatar Airways’ ambition to bring people together through the power of sport and to support the communities in which it operates continued this year, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
As the “Official Partner Airline” of the 2022 Qatar Soccer World Cup, the national airline is delighted to be the airline that will transport millions of soccer fans to Qatar for the tournament.
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