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Qatar Airways Responds to Air Italy Critics

Qatar Airways has published a strong defence of its shareholding arrangement in Air Italy. It follows scrutiny within a Senate hearing in April during which Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State said he was “looking very closely” at the arrangement following allegations it violates an agreement reached between the US and Qatar Airways in 2018. In a statement issued to media on April 11, the Doha-based carrier said, “such baseless statements and consistent inaccuracies need addressing as a matter of urgency.”

Qatar Airways currently holds a 49% stake in AQA, Air Italy’s parent company. Within the lengthy rebuttal, the Middle Eastern airline framed its argument by drawing parallels with Delta’s part-ownership in Virgin Atlantic and Aeromexico, and Etihad’s shareholding in Alitalia.

 (Photo Qatar Airways)

“Qatar Airways’ investment in Air Italy, and operations to the United States, are fully compliant with the US-Qatar Open Skies Agreement, the January 2018 US-Qatar Understandings, and a side letter that accompanied the discussions. Unfounded claims that Qatar Airways’ investment in Air Italy violates the Understandings are entirely false,” said the company.

In 2017, the airline bought a stake in Italian carrier Meridiana, which was subsequently rebranded as Air Italy ahead of a series of direct flights from Milan to the US. Notably, Qatar Airways does not codeshare on any of Air Italy’s flights to the US, “and has no plans to do so” according to the airline.

“The ‘Big 3’ US carriers have consistently demonstrated their hostility to new entrants into the US-Europe market, and their attacks on Air Italy based on the identity of its minority shareholder are just another manifestation of this hostility,” concluded the statement.

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Qatar Airways Eyes Alliance Exit

Qatar Airways could withdraw from oneworld as early as next year as tensions continue to simmer with its fellow alliance members. Speaking in New York on October 18, the Doha-based flag carrier’s CEO Akbar Al Baker emphasised the importance of the group, but revealed growing frustration with American Airlines in particular.

“In June 2013, we joined oneworld. We were invited by American Airlines and British Airways together. Unfortunately, [American Airlines] is now talking against Qatar Airways,” Al Baker said. He earlier told Flight Global: “The whole idea behind an alliance is to work together to support each other like a family. But I don’t think that is any more the spirit of the alliance, especially since American Airlines is continuously targeting us, slandering us, and giving misinformation to the US government about Qatar Airways. And now it is targeting our investment in Air Italy at very high-level government interaction, claiming that we are cheating on the open skies agreement that we signed with the US government.”

The spat stems from long-running allegations by American, Delta Airlines and United Airlines that the ‘big three’ Gulf carriers – Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates – are using illegal subsidies to compete unfairly. The Middle East airlines have repeatedly disputed this position and, earlier this year, agreed to publish financial statements and limit their expansion in the US in a bid to thaw relations between the groups.

Al Baker is also understood to be unhappy with fellow oneworld member Qantas, which has an extensive partnership agreement with Gulf rival Emirates.

Elsewhere, Qatar Airways is to add extra capacity to its long-haul fleet after converting five of its outstanding Airbus A350-900 orders to the larger -1000. The move is intended in part to mitigate the effect of ongoing restrictions on flights imposed by neighbouring Arab states, amid a continuing political dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain

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Record-Breaking Flight for Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways has launched the world’s longest commercial flight, flying non-stop from the Qatari capital Doha to Auckland, New Zealand.

Qatar Airways’ first flight to New Zealand flies over the city of Auckland on its final approach to the airport. (Qatar Airways)

The inaugural service departed Doha on February 5 and arrived in Auckland early the following day – a significant day for all New Zealanders as it was Waitangi Day, celebrating the 1840 signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document.

Operated by one of the carrier’s Boeing 777-2DZ(LR)s, A7-BBB (c/n 36013), the flight took 16hrs 20mins to complete and covered 9,032 miles (14,535km). After touching down in New Zealand for the first time the aircraft was given a traditional water cannon salute by the Auckland Airport Fire Department.

Travelling on board the flight was Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker who said: “The launch of our new service to Auckland is an important milestone for us as we expand both in the region and globally across our network providing more options and better connections to exciting business destinations in Europe and the Middle East.  Arriving on Waitangi Day and achieving the world’s longest flight for the return record-breaking service makes this an even more momentous occasion for Qatar Airways and provides another accomplishment to celebrate in this our 2oth year of flying the flag internationally for Qatar.”

Auckland is the first New Zealand city served by Qatar Airways.  The new daily flights are operated by the carrier’s 777-200LRs, which are configured in a two-class layout with 42 Business Class and 217 Economy Class seats.

The carried added the Doha-Auckland-Doha daily rotations will also offer 116 tonnes of belly-hold capacity every week to support the growing imports of raw, industrial and consumer materials into New Zealand.  While in Qatar the Hamad International Airport freight terminal, operated by Qatar Airways Cargo, offers ‘QR Fresh’ a seamless temperature-controlled handling and storage solution, to deliver perishable products such as dairy produce, meat and fruits from Auckland into the Middle East and on to major European markets.

Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight touches down on New Zealand’s Waitangi Day in Auckland. (Qatar Airways)