How Qatar Airways Is Navigating Travel In The COVID-19 Era
The aviation industry has gone through its fair share of struggles even before the COVID-19 crisis hit, but Qatar Airways is proof that there’s still hope to keep afloat no matter how bad the current outlook may be.
Spreading its wings
The Middle Eastern airline continues to grow despite the illegal blockades imposed by Qatar’s neighbouring countries in 2017 when the diplomatic crisis imposed all Qatar Airways flights to be barred from entering into the airspace of the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt as well as its airports.
Since then, Qatar Airways has managed to carry on its operations and has recently expanded its network to over 40 destinations including Bangkok, Barcelona, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Singapore and Vienna as well as announcing the upcoming resumption of flights to Berlin, New York and Venice to name a few.
Homeward bound
In a recent press release, the airline states that its “share of the passenger and air cargo market has grown significantly over the past three months” and the company has continued “to operate a significant schedule operating over 15,000 flights to take over 1.8 million people home.”
The airlines also states that its cargo division has prioritised medical and aid shipments and is working closely with governments and NGOs to transport over 200,000 tonnes of essential supplies to impacted regions.
“It has been a testing few years but Qatar Airways will always continue to represent our country with integrity, flying our nation’s flag proudly around the world,” says Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker in the press release. “Our robust business planning, swift actions in the face of the crisis, customer-focused solutions and dedicated staff have enabled us to continue succeeding in the face of two unprecedented aviation events. Despite the many attempts by the blockading countries to blemish our excellent reputation, I am proud to say that my country and the airline have managed to persevere and grow over the last three years.
World-class hub
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways’ home hub, the Hamad International Airport (HIA) was recently voted Best Airport in the Middle East for the sixth year in a row and Best Staff Service in the Middle East for the fifth year in a row, as well as securing Third Best Airport in the World, ranking among 550 airports worldwide by the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2020.
