Qatar Airways CEO threatens to halt Airbus orders if slots denied

Frankfurt: Qatar Airways could reconsider ordering Airbus aircraft if it could not obtain landing rights — or slots — at European airports, CEO Akbar Al Baker told a German newspaper in an interview.

“If they (European airport slots) are limited further, we will stop buying European aircraft. We have 186 orders at Airbus. What impact would that have on German jobs?” the Handelsblatt daily quoted Al Baker as saying in its Tuesday edition.

Middle East airlines such as Qatar and Emirates have said that European governments were seeking to restrict fair competition by giving airlines based closer to home preference when awarding airport slots.