Dubai: Qatar Airways is open to revenue-sharing partnerships with fellow Oneworld alliance members, which includes British Airways and Qantas, its chief executive officer said on Tuesday.
“But it’s not only revenue-sharing. Its revenue sharing and [its] loss-sharing,” Akbar Al Baker said.
Al Baker was speaking to the media at the Abu Dhabi Air Expo.
Qatar Airways is also in discussions to sign a code-share agreement with British Airways in a bid to form a closer and stronger partnership with the airline. Al Baker said the agreement “will happen very soon”.
Qatar Airways became the first and only Gulf carrier to join a global alliance when it became a member of Oneworld last October. Oneworld’s members also include American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines, among others.
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has developed its own equity stake alliance by purchasing minority shares in Virgin Australia, Air Berlin, Air Seychelles, Air Serbia, Etihad Regional (formerly Darwin Airline) and Jet Airways. It is also in discussions to buy a stake in Italy’s Alitalia. Last year, Emirates formed a revenue-sharing partnership with Australia’s Qantas, which saw Qantas move its London-bound hub from Asia to Dubai and end its long-standing partnership with British Airways. Al Baker said Qatar Airways gets several offers to take equity stakes in European carriers but did not say whether any serious discussions were underway.
Hamdad International
Doha’s newest airport, Hamad International, will open in two stages in the second quarter later this year, Al Baker said. Hamad International, which will replace the existing Doha International, has been plagued by a series of delays after being initially set to open in 2009.
Al Baker said low-cost carriers and those that do not rely on transit traffic will move to Hamad International first as part of a soft opening. Qatar Airways and transit traffic airlines will follow around four weeks later.
“We will move overnight. The [current] airport of course will have to be shut between six to eight hours … to facilitate the transfer to the new airport,” he said.
Al Baker also said his airline will issue a request for proposal (RFP) for 10 jets for Qatar Executive, the airline’s charter operations business. He said the aircraft will replace some of its existing aircraft but did not give any further details.
