Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al
Baker, left, with French Minister of Industry, Energy and the Digital
Economy, Eric Besson, onboard one of the airline’s Boeing 777’s on static
display at the Dubai Air Show.
Qatar Airways wrapped up a highly successful presence at
Dubai Air Show last week with orders for 90 aircraft, announcement of seven
new destinations and being named Airline of the Year by a leading aviation
magazine, which also honored the airline’s CEO for his achievements.
Akbar Al Baker was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the
annual Aviation Business awards, recognizing his dynamic leadership in
steering the aggressive expansion of Qatar Airways since taking charge as
chief executive officer in 1997.
The awards evening in Dubai also honored Qatar Airways
with the Airline of the Year accolade celebrating the carrier’s focus on
service excellence and high standards, spreading its wings to over 100
destinations around the world in just 14 years of operation.
The eventful week saw the Doha-based carrier place
orders, both firm and option, for 88 of the Airbus A320 Neo narrow body
aircraft, as well as two Boeing 777 freighters.
Amid the flurry of new announcements last week, Al Baker
delivered the keynote address at the Aviation Business Awards in the
presence of senior industry executives from across the Middle East, at which
he spoke of the region building up a robust niche for itself when it comes
to air transport, taking advantage of its geographical position.
The highly influential CEO said: “Qatar Airways yet again
demonstrated it is a pacesetter, leading by example at the Dubai Air Show
with announcements that continue to steer the airline into a leading force
in global aviation.”
On the Aviation Business Awards, he said: “I firmly
believe it is my duty, as a civil servant and as chief executive officer of
Qatar Airways to guide the airline in good and bad times to remain at the
pinnacle of the industry.”
During the Air Show, the carrier announced a raft of new
destinations for 2012 - Gassim in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; the West
Australian city of Perth; Finnish capital Helsinki; Zanzibar; Croatian
capital Zagreb; Kigali in Rwanda and Mombasa in Kenya.
