Doha, 25 June 2022 (QT)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

GROUP Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker has said that the airline will suspend flights to about 15 to 20 destinations for around 30 days to meet anticipated heavy inflow of football fans during 2022 FIFA World Cup Tournament.

Talking to the media after a press conference on the conclusion of 78th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of International Air Transport Association (IATA) hosted
by Qatar Airways from June 19 to 21, 2022, Baker said that the plan is yet to be finalised about the routes where Qatar Airways flights will be suspended during
the period.

He said that it was an absolute pleasure to host the 78th International Air Transport Association Annual General Meeting, eight years after it was last held in
Doha in 2014 He said the past three days provided great discussions on important global issues affecting the aviation industry between leaders and experts from around world.

He thanked IATA’s Director-General Willie Walsh for his exemplary support. On his part, IATA director-general said that aviation industry is resilient and
witnessing rebounding as people who longed for the freedom to fly are taking to the skies again in growing numbers.

He hoped that by next year, most markets would see traffic reach or exceed pre-pandemic levels. “Our industry is now leaner, tougher and nimbler. Our latest analysis shows losses in 2021 close to $42 billion, a huge loss, but down from our earlier estimate of $52 billion. We now believe that global losses will be cut
further to $9.7 billion this year. Industry-wide profit should be on the horizon in 2023,” Walsh told aviation industry leaders during presentation of his report during the 2022 AGM Doha