History of Qatar Airways in Timeline
Qatar Airways is the flag carrier of Qatar, headquartered in Doha. Operating from Hamad International Airport, it serves over 170 international destinations across five continents via a hub-and-spoke network. The airline boasts a fleet of over 200 aircraft and employs more than 43,000 people. Qatar Airways has been a member of the Oneworld alliance since 2013 and its slogan is "Going Places Together".
November 1996: Akbar Al Baker Appointed CEO
In November 1996, Akbar Al Baker was appointed as the CEO of Qatar Airways, a position he held until November 2023.
2006: Unveiling of Branding
In 2006, Qatar Airways unveiled its current branding, featuring an oryx logo and burgundy-colored lettering on a light grey background.
June 2009: Launch of Cargo Flights to Cairo
In June 2009, Qatar Airways Cargo launched dedicated cargo flights to Cairo International Airport, complementing existing passenger services.
January 2012: Qatar Airways opens first lounge outside Doha at London Heathrow
In January 2012, Qatar Airways opened its first lounge outside of Doha at London Heathrow's Terminal 4.
2012: Addition of Destinations to Network
In 2012, Qatar Airways added fourteen destinations to its network, including Addis Ababa, Baghdad, Belgrade, Erbil, Gassim, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Maputo, Mombasa, Perth, Saint Petersburg, Warsaw, Yangon, and Zagreb.
March 13, 2013: Delivery of First A330F
On March 13, 2013, Qatar Airways Cargo's first of three A330F aircraft was delivered, provided on lease from BOC aviation, replacing A300-600F.
July 2013: Government Control of Qatar Airways
In July 2013, Qatar Airways has been fully controlled by the government following the buyout of a 50% stake from a former foreign minister and other shareholders.
May 2014: Company Fully Owned by Qatari Government
As of May 2014, Qatar Airways is fully owned by the Qatari government.
May 27, 2014: Transfer to Hamad International Airport
On May 27, 2014, Qatar Airways officially transferred its operations to its new hub, Hamad International Airport, replacing Doha International Airport.
September 2014: Planned Launch of Al Maha Airways
It was planned for Al Maha Airways to launch in September 2014, serving the Saudi Arabian market.
2014: Report alleges unfair treatment of Qatar Airways employees
In 2014, a Swedish newspaper, Expressen, published a report based around three Qatar Airways employees, whose lives were allegedly heavily "monitored" and "controlled" by the company. The CEO of Qatar Airways denied the claims made in the newspaper regarding the alleged unfair treatment of its employees.
March 18, 2015: Launch of Freighter Service to Los Angeles Announced
On March 18, 2015, Qatar Airways Cargo announced the launch of a twice-weekly Boeing 777 Freighter service to Los Angeles, effective 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, becoming its fourth US freighter destination.
May 2015: Delivery of Airbus A320 Aircraft for Al Maha Airways
By May 2015, Al Maha Airways had already taken delivery of 4 Airbus A320 aircraft.
June 2015: Launch of Service to Amsterdam
December 2015: Announcement of Service to Durban
Starting December 2015, Qatar Airways announced it would serve Durban.
2015: Acquisition of Stake in International Airlines Group
In 2015, Qatar Airways acquired a 9.99% stake in the International Airlines Group.
2015: Qatar Airways opens the Al Safwa First Lounge
In 2015, Qatar Airways opened the Al Safwa First Lounge for its first-class passengers.
2015: Qatar Airways threatens to leave Oneworld alliance
In 2015, Qatar Airways threatened to leave Oneworld citing its relationship with American and Qantas, however never followed through on this threat.
2015: Hololei accepts free flights from Qatar Airways
Reports indicate Hololei traveled business class at no cost nine times from 2015 to 2021.
December 27, 2016: Announcement of Freighter Operations to New Destinations in the Americas
On December 27, 2016, Qatar Airways Cargo announced the launch of freighter operations to four new destinations in the Americas, including Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Quito, and Miami, starting February 2, 2017, using Boeing 777 freighters.
January 2017: Qatar Airways opens premium lounge 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
On February 5, 2017, Qatar Airways operated the longest regularly scheduled commercial flight between Doha and Auckland.
February 2017: Cancellation of Al Maha Airways Project
In February 2017, Qatar Airways announced the cancellation of the Al Maha Airways project due to ongoing issues with gaining operational licenses and the Qatar diplomatic crisis.
March 2017: Qatar Airways reveals new "Qsuite" business class cabin
In March 2017, Qatar Airways unveiled its new business class cabin, called "Qsuite." The new cabin features suites with doors arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration and the middle section suites can be converted into a quad room, or a double bed.
June 2017: Flights Prevented from Entering Certain Airports
In June 2017, all Qatar Airways flights were prevented from entering Emirati, Saudi Arabian, Bahraini, and Egyptian airports due to the 2017 diplomatic crisis.
September 1, 2017: Acquisition of AQA Holding Stake
On September 1, 2017, Qatar Airways announced its acquisition of 49% of AQA Holding, the new shareholder of Meridiana.
2017: Qatar Airways dispute with American Airlines begins
In 2017, Qatar Airways was engaged in a dispute with American Airlines.
December 2018: Threat to Leave Oneworld Alliance
In December 2018, Qatar Airways' CEO, Akbar Al Baker, threatened to pull the company out of the Oneworld alliance following accusations of hostile business practices by Qantas and American Airlines.
2018: Qatar Airways dispute with Qantas starts
In 2018, a dispute between Qatar Airways and Qantas started and continues to this date.
June 18, 2019: Launch of Flights to Davao, Philippines
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 expansion plans in Southeast Asia, making it the airline's third destination in Malaysia.
December 2019: Purchase of Stake in Bugesera International Airport
In December 2019, Qatar Airways purchased a 60% stake in Rwanda's new $1.3 billion Bugesera International Airport.
December 24, 2019: Marc Bennett found dead in Doha hotel room
On December 24, 2019, Marc Bennett was found hanged in his hotel room in Doha. According to the investigation by The Times, Bennett was arrested after resigning from a senior post with Qatar Airways.
2019: Qatar Airways threatens to leave Oneworld alliance
In 2019, Qatar Airways threatened to leave Oneworld citing its relationship with American and Qantas, however never followed through on this threat.
February 2020: Increased Shareholding in International Airlines Group
As of February 2020, Qatar Airways held 25.1% of the shares in International Airlines Group, having steadily increased its shareholding since initially buying 9.99% in 2015.
February 2020: Largest Shareholder in International Airlines Group (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 Rwanda's flag carrier airline, RwandAir, to provide technical and financial support, and to bypass embargoes.
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 caused by COVID-19 travel restrictions.
October 2, 2020: Australian women strip-searched after being deplaned from Qatar Airways flight
On October 2, 2020, thirteen Australian female passengers aboard a Qatar Airways flight to Sydney from Hamad International Airport in Doha were forced to deplane before takeoff and were subsequently strip searched and "subjected to an invasive internal examination" against their will.
January 2021: Embargo Lifted
In January 2021, the embargo against Qatar Airways was lifted, allowing the airline to resume flights to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain, and to use their airspace.
January 25, 2021: Qatar Airways Network Expansion
As of January 25, 2021, Qatar Airways' network covered 120 destinations following the resolution of Qatar's airspace dispute with neighboring Gulf countries, with plans to expand to 130 routes by March 2021.
March 2021: Planned Network Expansion
By March 2021, Qatar Airways planned to expand its network to reach 130 routes.
March 28, 2021: Scheduled Restart of Flights to Birmingham and Cardiff
Flights to Birmingham Airport and Cardiff Airport were scheduled to restart on March 28, 2021, after being suspended in September 2020, but only the flight to Birmingham restarted on July 6, 2023.
July 24, 2021: Resumption of Service to Cebu
On July 24, 2021, Qatar Airways resumed service to Cebu after eight years, making it the third destination in the Philippines served by the airline.
2021: Hololei accepts free flights from Qatar Airways
Reports indicate Hololei traveled business class at no cost nine times from 2015 to 2021.
September 29, 2022: Article published about the death of Marc Bennett
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 suspends Qatar's access following corruption allegations
In December 2022, the European Parliament suspended Qatar's access following allegations that Qatari representatives offered substantial bribes to influence decisions, leading to the arrest of several individuals.
March 2023: Qatar Airways Group Employment Figures
At March 2023, the Qatar Airways Group employed more than 48,000 people, of whom 32,000 worked directly for the airline.
July 6, 2023: Restart of Flights to Birmingham
On July 6, 2023, Qatar Airways restarted flights to Birmingham Airport after suspending them in September 2020, while flights to Cardiff remained suspended.
July 2023: Australian Government rejects 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, with the 2020 incident being a 'factor' influencing the decision.
July 2023: Government Blocked Expansion Plan
In July 2023, the Australian government blocked Qatar Airways' expansion plan to double flights to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, citing it against Australia's national interest and supporting Qantas's argument that the expansion would distort the market.
September 2023: Qatar Airways VP calls 2020 incident "a one-off and an isolated incident"
In September 2023, Qatar Airways' senior vice president of global sales Matt Raos asserted that the 2020 incident was "a one-off and an isolated incident" during an Australian Senate inquiry.
November 5, 2023: Akbar Al Baker Steps Down as CEO
On November 5, 2023, Akbar Al Baker stepped down as the CEO of Qatar Airways.
November 2023: Appointment of Badr Mohammed Al-Meer as CEO
As of November 2023, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer became 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, marking the debut of its AI cabin crew, designed to personalize passenger experiences.
April 2024: Federal Court of Australia dismisses case against Qatar Airways
In April 2024, the Federal Court of Australia dismissed the case against Qatar Airways related to the searches, finding that the searches did not happen onboard a Qatar Airways aircraft nor were carried out by the airline's employees.
August 2024: Acquisition of Airlink Shareholding
In August 2024, Qatar Airways acquired a 25% shareholding in Airlink.
November 2024: Criminal investigation initiated into former EU transport chief over free flights from Qatar Airways
In November 2024, it was reported the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has initiated a criminal investigation into Henrik Hololei, a former EU transport chief, over allegations of accepting free flights from Qatar Airways while negotiating an Open Skies deal that favoured the airline.
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.
March 2025: Expansion of Services to Meet Summer Travel Surge
In March 2025, Qatar Airways announced that it is expanding its services to meet the anticipated summer travel surge by increasing flights to 11 global destinations.
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