Airline News
Al Baker on his Indian intentions
January 20th 2015
Qatar Airways chief Akbar Al Baker, was once again in the news in the last week as he called on Indian leaders to put aside politics and open up the country’s skies to foreign carriers. Read More » He said India was a “sleeping superpower” and the aviation sector was key to its economic development. Al Baker pointed to the record 30 million passengers the state of Qatar welcomed last year, which he said would not have been possible without Qatar Airways and Qatar’s open skies policy. Al Baker and “his friends” at Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways have said for years they could fill thousands more seats to and from the subcontinent if Indian authorities deregulated the market.
At the same media gathering, Al Baker reiterated he was “extremely interested” in acquiring a 49% stake in Gurgaon-based IndiGo, if given the opportunity, as the low-cost carrier is the country’s only “efficient” carrier. IndiGo last year announced plans for an IPO aimed at raising $400 million from the sale of a 25% stake, though no date has been set yet. Al Baker said he was not interested in either GoAir or severely financially-impaired SpiceJet.
Meanwhile, Al Maha Airways, Qatar Airways’ Saudi Arabian subsidiary originally slated to start operations in 2014, may likely only launch in the second half of this year as “complex” bureaucracy is delaying its certification process. Al Maha will initially operate a fleet of up to 10 A320s to destinations including Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah, Abha and Gassim, al Baker said, but could be a prime candidate for the A350 and A380 on hajj pilgrimage flights, he continued. Al Maha, which means ‘oryx’ in Arabic, will have the same logo as Qatar Airways, but in green to match the colours of Saudi Arabia.
