(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Ayeni Olusegun |
The Peninsula
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive H E Akbar Al Baker says the airline's increased patronage is due to its commitment to passengers, especially during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview with CNBC's Phil LeBeau onboard the QA's Boeing 777 300ER at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA), Al Baker said the airline's passenger-friendly policies have attracted more customers, including many first-time users.
“During the pandemic, Qatar Airways proved itself that it was a reliable airline; we never stopped,” Al Baker said in the interview posted on the airline's Twitter handle.
“We didn't leave millions of passengers stranded. We carried 3.3 million passengers during the peak of COVID-19 from March to June – most of them had never used Qatar Airways before. So, this really showed them that our brand and commitment to passengers in need and we gave over $1.5bn to passengers who couldn't travel,” he added.
In 2020, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) declared Qatar Airways the largest international carrier between April and July. The airline accounted for 17.8% of global international passenger traffic in April, its network never fell below 33 destinations, and it continued to fly to key cities including Amsterdam, Dallas-Fort Worth, London, Montréal, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.
“We also allowed passengers to change their routes, including up to 500 nautical miles extra, without any charges. So this gave people confidence, and this is what made our airline to be only the most profitable during 2021,” Al Baker added.
Also, the airline operated over 470 charters and extra sector flights, providing a lifeline to those in specific industries such as seafarers, with the airline repatriating over 150,000. Qatar Airways' repatriation work saw the airline fly to destinations not previously part of its network, including Antananarivo, Bogotá, Bridgetown, Havana, Juba, Laâyoune, Lomé, Maun, Ougadougou, Port-of-Spain, and Port Moresby.
Recently, Qatar Airways bagged the AirlineRatings' Airline of the Year' award. It also won the 'Best Airline in the Middle East' and 'Best Business Class' awards. The recognition was the second in a row the airline had scooped the honours and the fourth straight year to take home the 'Best Business Class' award.
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