“Many more airlines will go under” Qatar Airways boss.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al-Baker has warned that many more airlines will be forced out of business by the pandemic.
See also: Qatar Airways says it is the 777X launch customer.
In an exclusive interview on CNN’s Quest Means Business, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al-Baker gave a bleak assessment of the challenges facing the industry as it struggles to recover the collapse in global air travel.
“By the time this pandemic is over, there will only be few airlines that are strong and will continue operating,” he said. “A lot of other airlines will go under. And this will continue to happen, because we have not seen the worst of it over yet”, said Al-Baker.
See also: Qatar Airways will operate 1,200 weekly flights 140 destinations this summer.
He said that returning the airline industry to full strength should be a key priority to boost the global economic outlook, Arab News reported.
“If this pandemic prolongs for too long, this will completely destroy the world’s economy which is so dependent on airlines for delivering business, carrying freight around, and most importantly creating jobs,” he said.
Al-Baker also spoke about access to vaccinations and mitigating the risks amid the slow roll out of vaccines in some countries.
“It will be a problem for the aviation industry. And we will have to work a way within this risks that we will have to take. But we will have to do things, we’ll have to put processes, we’ll have to put systems in place to mitigate that risk”, said Al-Baker.
Related Topics
Iberia Elevates Its Inflight Experience: Passenger-Favorite Dishes Return to Long-Haul Flights
Three Decades of Global Connectivity: Air France Celebrates 30 Years of Its Paris-Charles de Gaulle Hub
EasyJet Accepts £5.5 Billion Takeover Bid from Castlelake, But Regulatory Hurdles Remain
Volotea Expands Malaga Network with Launch of New Route to Limoges, France
Plataforma Informativa de Aviación Comercial con 13 años de trayectoria.