Qatar Airways: Scaling new heights
At this year’s World Travel Market event in London in early November, Al-Baker, chief of Qatar Airways talked about new routes, enhanced products and expansive fleet plans. For Al-Baker there was plenty to smile about.

The 42-strong fleet will grow threefold over the next 10 years with two-third of the airline’s 60-strong order for Airbus A350s for the larger -900 type. The carrier has already built a strong reputation for offering a quality product for first and business class passengers.

Service quality levels will be boosted when the new Doha Airport comes on stream in 2009. The present airport is struggling to cope with Qatar’s rapid growth. Delays in the construction of the new facility led Qatar to put back the delivery schedule for the A380 from early 2007 to 2009.

On the issue of alliances all three of the major world groupings are interested. The speculation regarding Star comes from the fact that Qatar has recently signed a cod sharing deal with United Airlines, which adds to existing code share agreements with Lufthansa, bmi and All Nippon Airways.

As far as new routes go, Qatar will start daily flights to Hong Kong from March next year, and is also keen to take advantage of a relaxation of UK fifth freedoms rights for airports outside the London area.

Melbourne, which has previously been out of range for the Qatar fleet, is also on the agenda. With new aircraft coming on stream at a steady rate, there is likely to be plenty more route announcements in the not-so-distant future. Al-Baker can look forward to plenty more of the press conferences he so clearly enjoys.

Qatar Airways comes a winner
Qatar Airways, which has Dhaka on its network, boosted its tally of international honours by grabbing four key accolades at the 12th World Travel Awards in London recently.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker was honoured with the '2005 Airline Personality of the Year Award'. The airline also picked up awards for world's leading flat-bed seat, best in-flight meal service and leading airline in the Middle East (ME). The Doha-based carrier added a fifth accolade at the opening of World Travel Market (WTM) in London Monday by winning a World Travel Global Award.

As one of the world's youngest and fastest growing airlines, the achievements are seen as remarkable in the short few years since Qatar Airways' re-launch in 1997 from a small regional carrier with a handful of routes to a global airline covering 66 destinations.

Severe pilot shortage ahead
The Middle East’s airlines need to find up to 4,000 trained pilots over the next ten years, if they are to keep their fleets in the air. Fears are that a pilot crisis will hit unless serious changes are made to the way pilots are trained and recruited.

Emirates, is one of the fastest growing. Of its more than 20,000 staff, more than 1,200 are pilots, keeping its fleet of 80 aircraft in the air. The airline’s future human resources needs are intimidating. It has 92 aircraft on order, which, using current ratios, will demand a further 1,380 pilots to fly them by the time they all arrive.

Over the next seven to eight years more than 300 aircraft will be delivered to Middle East-based airlines existing fleets, suggesting the need for some 4,000 plus pilots. Some airlines, such as Emirates, are trying to ease a looming crisis by training its own pilots. It runs its own flight training school in Adelaide and a flight simulator in Dubai, which have been providing pilots to the airline for some years now.

Some other airlines in the region merely recruit internationally, adding to demand pressures, and ultimately driving up wages. In an attempt to redress the balance, there are moves afoot within the airline industry to change the type and content of flight training to allow a more speedy process.

Demand is also growing elsewhere. China, alone, will seek more than 55,000 pilots over the next two decades. Malaysian Airlines had flights disrupted in April this year because of a dearth of pilots.