History of Qatar Airways in Timeline
Qatar Airways is the flag carrier of Qatar, operating from its hub at Hamad International Airport in Doha. It serves over 170 international destinations across five continents with a fleet of over 200 aircraft. Employing over 43,000 people, the airline follows a hub-and-spoke network model. Qatar Airways has been a member of the Oneworld alliance since October 2013 and its official slogan is "Going Places Together".
1974: Joins Gulf Air
In 1974, the State of Qatar became a joint-owner member of Gulf Air.
November 22, 1993: Qatar Airways Established
On November 22, 1993, Qatar Airways was established by the government of Qatar.
January 20, 1994: Operations Begin
On January 20, 1994, Qatar Airways commenced operations.
May 1994: First Destination: Amman
In May 1994, Amman became Qatar Airways' first destination.
April 1995: Staff of 75
In April 1995, CEO Sheikh Hamad Bin Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani employed a staff of 75.
November 1996: Akbar Al Baker became CEO
In November 1996, Akbar Al Baker became the CEO of Qatar Airways.
September 1997: Muscat Removed From Route Network
In September 1997, Muscat was removed from Qatar Airways' route network.
February 1999: Delivery of First A320 on Lease
In February 1999, Qatar Airways took delivery of the first A320 powered by Aero Engines V2500 on lease from SALE.
April 2000: Fourth A300-600R Joins Fleet
In April 2000, Qatar Airways added a fourth A300-600R on lease from AWAS to its fleet.
2001: Airbus A320 Deliveries
May 2002: Withdrawal from Gulf Air
In May 2002, Qatar was the first of three countries to withdraw from Gulf Air, after being a joint-owner member since 1974.
March 2004: First Profit Reported
In March 2004, the Qatar Airways Group reported its first profit ever for the fiscal year.
July 2004: Zürich Becomes 53rd Destination
In July 2004, Zürich became Qatar Airways' 53rd destination worldwide.
March 2005: New Service to Osaka Launched
In March 2005, Qatar Airways launched a new service to Osaka.
2005: Airbus A320 Deliveries
September 8, 2006: First A340 Delivered
On September 8, 2006, Qatar Airways' first A340 was delivered.
2006: Unveiling of new branding
In 2006, Qatar Airways unveiled its current branding, featuring an oryx logo and burgundy lettering.
November 2008: New York-JFK Service Commenced
In November 2008, a new scheduled service to New York-JFK commenced, replacing the Newark route.
June 2009: Launch of cargo flights to Cairo
In June 2009, Qatar Airways Cargo launched dedicated cargo flights to Cairo International Airport.
October 12, 2009: World's First Commercial Flight Powered by Natural Gas
On October 12, 2009, Qatar Airways completed the world's first commercial passenger flight powered by a fuel made from natural gas.
April 2010: Service to Tokyo-Narita Begins
2011: Launch of Benghazi and Entebbe Services
During 2011, Qatar Airways launched services to Benghazi and Entebbe.
January 2012: First lounge outside Doha opened at London Heathrow
In January 2012, Qatar Airways opened its first lounge outside of Doha at London Heathrow's Terminal 4.
February 1, 2012: Service to Baku and Tbilisi
On February 1, 2012, Qatar Airways launched service to Baku and Tbilisi, after delays due to "operational issues".
October 8, 2012: Oneworld Membership Announced
On October 8, 2012, Qatar Airways announced it would join Oneworld within 18 months.
November 12, 2012: First Dreamliner Acquired
On November 12, 2012, Qatar Airways became the seventh carrier worldwide to acquire the Dreamliner.
2012: Addition of fourteen new destinations
In 2012, Qatar Airways added fourteen new destinations to its network including Addis Ababa, Baghdad, and Perth.
March 13, 2013: Delivery of first A330F
On March 13, 2013, Qatar Airways Cargo's first of three A330F was delivered provided on lease from BOC aviation replacing A300-600F.
July 2013: Government buyout of stake
In July 2013, the Qatari government fully controlled Qatar Airways after buying out a 50% stake from a former foreign minister and other shareholders.
September 2013: Services to Ethiopia Begin
In September 2013, Qatar Airways began services to Ethiopia.
October 2013: Joins Oneworld alliance
In October 2013, Qatar Airways became a member of the Oneworld alliance.
October 29, 2013: Joins Oneworld
On October 29, 2013, Qatar Airways joined Oneworld.
2013: Joined Oneworld alliance
In 2013, Qatar Airways joined the Oneworld alliance.
2013: Initial Slated Delivery of Airbus A350 XWB
In 2013, the initial slated delivery of the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft was to take place.
May 2014: Company fully owned by Qatari government
As of May 2014, Qatar Airways is fully owned by the Qatari government.
May 27, 2014: Official transfer to Hamad International Airport
On May 27, 2014, Qatar Airways officially transferred operations to Hamad International Airport.
August 1, 2014: Start of A380 Services to London Delayed
The start of Qatar Airways' A380 services to London was delayed to August 1, 2014.
September 2014: Planned launch of Al Maha Airways
In September 2014, Al Maha Airways was planned to launch in Saudi Arabia.
October 2014: Commencement of A380 Services to London
In October 2014, Qatar Airways commenced A380 services to London.
December 2014: Qatar Airways served 146 points worldwide
As of December 2014, Qatar Airways served 146 points worldwide following the launch of flights to Asmara.
2014: Report of heavily monitored employees published
In 2014, Expressen published a report alleging that Qatar Airways employees were heavily monitored and controlled. Qatar Airways responded by stating they were unable to comment without knowing the specific individuals and cases the article was based on.
March 18, 2015: Announcement of freighter service to Los Angeles
On March 18, 2015, Qatar Airways Cargo announced a twice-weekly Boeing 777 Freighter service to Los Angeles starting April 4, 2015.
April 4, 2015: Launch of freighter service to Los Angeles
On April 4, 2015, Qatar Airways Cargo launched a twice-weekly Boeing 777 Freighter service to Los Angeles.
May 2015: Delivery of Airbus A320 aircraft to Al Maha Airways
By May 2015, Al Maha Airways had taken delivery of 4 Airbus A320 aircraft.
August 2015: Policy Change for Cabin Crew
In August 2015, Qatar Airways relaxed its policy of sacking cabin crew for getting pregnant or marrying in their first five years of employment.
December 2015: Serve Durban
Starting December 2015, it was announced that the Qatar Airways airline would serve Durban.
2015: Hololei began receiving free flights
From 2015 to 2021, Henrik Hololei allegedly traveled business class at no cost nine times on Qatar Airways.
2015: New Company Slogan
In 2015, Qatar Airways adopted the slogan "Going Places Together".
2015: Bought stake in International Airlines Group
In 2015, Qatar Airways bought 9.99% of the International Airlines Group.
2015: Opening of Al Safwa First Lounge
In 2015, Qatar Airways opened the Al Safwa First Lounge for its first-class passengers.
2015: Threatened to leave Oneworld alliance
In 2015, Qatar Airways threatened to leave Oneworld.
July 2016: U.S. Department of State Talks with Qatar
In July 2016, the U.S. Department of State held talks with Qatar government officials regarding allegations of unfair competition, but no formal action was taken.
January 2017: New premium lounge opened within Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle Airport
In January 2017, Qatar Airways opened its new premium lounge within Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle Airport, marking the airline's third international lounge.
February 5, 2017: Longest Regularly Scheduled Flight
As of February 5, 2017, Qatar Airways had the longest regularly scheduled flight of a commercial airline, between Doha and Auckland.
February 2017: Cancellation of Al Maha Airways project
In February 2017, Qatar Airways announced that the Al Maha Airways project had been cancelled.
March 2017: Qsuite reveal
In March 2017, Qatar Airways revealed a new business class cabin, named "Qsuite."
June 2017: Flights prevented from entering certain airports
In June 2017, all Qatar Airways flights were prevented from entering Emirati, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egyptian airports due to the 2017 diplomatic crisis.
September 1, 2017: Acquisition of AQA Holding
On September 1, 2017, Qatar Airways bought 49% of AQA Holding, the new shareholder of Meridiana.
2017: Dispute with American Airlines started
In 2017, Qatar Airways engaged in a dispute with American Airlines which lasted until 2020.
December 2018: CEO threatened to pull out of Oneworld alliance
In December 2018, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker threatened to pull the company out of the Oneworld alliance in February, citing "hostile business practices" by Qantas and American Airlines.
2018: Dispute with Qantas started
In 2018, Qatar Airways dispute with Qantas started.
June 18, 2019: Launch of Doha to Davao flight
On June 18, 2019, Qatar Airways launched its first flight from Doha to Davao, Philippines.
August 2019: Introduction of flights to Langkawi
In August 2019, Qatar Airways introduced flights to Langkawi as part of its Southeast Asia expansion.
December 2019: Purchase of stake in Bugesera International Airport
In December 2019, Qatar Airways purchased a 60% stake in Rwanda's new Bugesera International Airport.
December 24, 2019: Marc Bennett found dead in Doha
On December 24, 2019, Marc Bennett was found hanged in his hotel room in Doha.
2019: Threatened to leave Oneworld alliance
In 2019, Qatar Airways threatened to leave Oneworld.
February 2020: Shareholding in International Airlines Group
As of February 2020, Qatar Airways held 25.1% of the shares in the International Airlines Group.
February 2020: Largest shareholder in IAG
As of February 2020, Qatar Airways is the largest shareholder in International Airlines Group (IAG) with 25.1% of the shares.
February 2020: Acquisition of stake in RwandAir
In February 2020, Qatar Airways acquired a 49% stake in RwandAir.
September 2020: Suspension of flights to Birmingham and Cardiff
In September 2020, Qatar Airways suspended flights to Birmingham Airport and Cardiff Airport due to low demand from COVID-19 travel restrictions.
2020: Expected Deliveries of Boeing 777-9X
Deliveries of the Boeing 777-9X passenger aircraft are expected to start in 2020.
2020: Dispute with American Airlines ended
In 2020, Qatar Airways ended its dispute with American Airlines which started in 2017.
2020: Strip search incident influenced capacity bid rejection
In 2020, the incident involving strip searches of Australian women at Doha airport was cited as a factor influencing the Australian Government's rejection of Qatar Airways' capacity bid in 2023.
2020: Strip search incident
In 2020, there was a strip search incident of Australian passengers on a Qatar Airways flight.
January 2021: Airspace Dispute Settlement
In January 2021, the embargo was lifted and Qatar Airways was again able to fly to countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain and use their respective airspace.
January 2021: Embargo lifted
In January 2021, the embargo was lifted, allowing Qatar Airways flights to enter Emirati, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egyptian airports again.
January 25, 2021: Network Spreads Across 120 Destinations
As of January 25, 2021, Qatar Airways' network spreads across 120 destinations after the settlement of Qatar's airspace dispute with neighbouring Gulf countries.
March 2021: Network Expansion Plans
By March 2021, Qatar Airways planned to expand its network to reach 130 routes.
March 28, 2021: Flights to Birmingham and Cardiff were scheduled to restart
Flights to Birmingham Airport and Cardiff Airport were scheduled to restart on March 28, 2021. The flight to Birmingham was only restarted on the July 6, 2023, and the flight to Cardiff never restarted.
July 24, 2021: Resumption of service to Cebu
On July 24, 2021, Qatar Airways resumed service to Cebu after eight years of absence, becoming the third destination in the Philippines served by the airline.
2021: Hololei continued receiving free flights
From 2015 to 2021, Henrik Hololei allegedly traveled business class at no cost nine times on Qatar Airways.
September 29, 2022: Article about death of Marc Bennett published
On September 29, 2022, The Times published an article about the death of British travel industry executive Marc Bennett in Qatar.
December 2022: European Parliament suspended Qatar's access
In December 2022, the European Parliament suspended Qatar's access following allegations that Qatari representatives offered substantial bribes to influence decisions.
March 2023: Qatar Airways Group employment
As of March 2023, the Qatar Airways Group employed more than 48,000 people.
July 6, 2023: Restart of flights to Birmingham
On July 6, 2023, Qatar Airways restarted flights to Birmingham Airport.
July 2023: Australian government blocked expansion plans
In July 2023, the Australian Government blocked Qatar Airways' expansion plan to double flights to several Australian cities, supported by Qantas due to concerns about market distortion.
July 2023: Australian Government rejected Qatar Airways request to double capacity
In July 2023, the Australian Government rejected a request for Qatar Airways to double capacity into Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
September 2023: Qatar Airways VP called strip search a one-off incident
In September 2023, Qatar Airways' senior vice president of global sales Matt Raos asserted that the 2020 strip search incident was "a one-off and an isolated incident" during an Australian Senate inquiry.
September 2023: Re-introduction of the route from Doha to Auckland
On 1 September 2023, Qatar Airways re-introduced the route from Doha to Auckland, which is known to be the third longest non-stop direct flights in the world.
November 5, 2023: Akbar Al Baker stepped down as CEO
On November 5, 2023, Akbar Al Baker stepped down as the CEO of Qatar Airways.
November 2023: Badr Mohammed Al-Meer became CEO
As of November 2023, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer is the CEO of Qatar Airways, succeeding Akbar Al Baker.
March 2024: Announcement of Sama 2.0
In March 2024, Qatar Airways announced Sama 2.0, the debut of the globe's premier AI cabin crew designed to personalize passenger experiences.
November 2024: Criminal investigation initiated into Henrik Hololei
In November 2024, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) initiated a criminal investigation into Henrik Hololei, a former EU transport chief, over allegations of accepting free flights from Qatar Airways.
January 7, 2025: Resumption of flights to Damascus
On January 7, 2025, Qatar Airways resumed its schedule of three weekly flights to Damascus after 13 years of absence.
