Qatar Airways demand 'bouncing back' after Iran war disruptions
Dhaka: Qatar Airways has largely weathered the disruptions caused by the war in Iran, with passenger loads surpassing 80% and recovery tracking closer to a V-shape than the U-shape it had initially anticipated, the airline's top executive said.
Hamad Ali Al-Khater made the remarks in an exclusive media interview on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
Al-Khater described the crisis that struck on February 28, when Iranian strikes prompted Qatar to shut its airspace, as "the most significant" the airline had faced in its modern history. Four Qatar Airways flights were cancelled until early March.
Capacity has been rebuilding since, though it has not yet returned to pre-war levels. However, Al-Khater said demand had defied expectations, with loads crossing north of 80% just five days before the interview.
He noted that the Australia-to-Europe kangaroo route was bouncing back, alongside flows from India, the United States, China, and Africa, calling demand outside the affected region "pretty robust and resilient."
On fuel, Al-Khater said the airline had mapped out its outstations across its roughly 166 destinations and was confident there was sufficient headroom to manage supply risks, even with the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed.
"The skies are open for Qatar Airways, but the strait remains closed for now," he said, adding that resilience and emergency planning were "a core paramount factor" in operations going forward.
Al-Khater acknowledged fuel prices remain a risk and that ticket pricing would need adjusting accordingly but said load factors justified confidence. He added that preserving jobs through the current uncertainty was his top priority.
Looking ahead, Al-Khater said Qatar Airways has around 210 widebody orders from its Boeing deal and expects A321 long-range aircraft to arrive in October — jets he said would offer narrowbody efficiency with widebody-range potential.
Starlink connectivity is already deployed across most of the fleet, and the Q Suite Next Gen cabin product is due soon. "These factors are going to make sure that we're in a much healthier position once we're out of this crisis," he emphasized.
