Qatar Airways forges Washington links

Qatar Airways’ CEO Akbar Al-Baker shared his insights on Qatar Airways and its unique position in global aviation during a keynote speech in Washington.
Addressing policymakers, students, intelligence officials and governmental leaders, the airline boss spoke of how the carrier was increasingly playing a pivotal role in Qatar’s economic growth.
He also spoke of the importance of Qatar’s geographical position in the GCC region.
Al-Baker was speaking at the 21st Annual Arab-US Policy Makers Conference in the US capital on the subject ‘Unprecedented Emergence of the Aviation Sector in the GCC’.
Other speakers included Mohamed bin Abdullah Al-Rumaihi, ambassador of Qatar to the US; Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, former Saudi Ambassador to the US; and Jose W. Fernandez, the current US Assistant secretary of state for economic, energy, and business affairs.
Al-Baker said the GCC region stood apart as a powerful base in global aviation, spurring new alliances, international route expansion and uncompromising service standards.
The GCC’s draw as a tourist destination and economic hub continued to fuel the region’s unprecedented growth on the world stage, he stressed.
He spoke of how the rapid rise of Qatar’s national carrier Qatar Airways had developed an economic vehicle spreading the wings of the nation to countries around the world.
He said that aviation was a key component of the economic backbone of Qatar and that the country’s national airline had been highly instrumental in transforming Doha into an international business destination and, increasingly, a tourist center.
Al-Baker’s speech also covered Qatar’s confident outlook on the future, as directed by Qatar’s Instrumental National Vision 2030 with its four pillars for sustainability — economic, social, human, and environmental.
“At Qatar Airways and in Qatar we want to nurture a continuation of the region’s growth,” said Al-Baker.