 "Qatar Airways will seek more capacity in India: Akbar Al Baker")
Qatar Airways flies to 12 Indian cities, more than its peers in the Gulf, and its hub in Doha competes with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah for traffic. Qatar Airways' growth in India has, however, been hit, as the Indian government has not revised bilateral seat entitlements, despite Qatar's requests. Chief executive Akbar Al Baker, in an email interview with Aneesh Phadnis, talks about the airline's growth plans in India. Edited excerpts:
How does Qatar Airways plan to expand in India? Does it plan to open new routes such as those to Lucknow and Jaipur, or add capacity to existing routes?
Since 2004, when Qatar Airways flew to only four cities in India, the airline has increased capacity and destinations across the country to 12 cities, with overall frequency of 95 passenger flights and 15 freight services a week.
India is growing as an economic hub and shows enormous potential. As the Indian aviation sector prepares for its next phase, it will witness increasing demand from new metro cities and this increasing demand from tier-II markets will be a key growth driver for the sector.
This is one of the major reasons we have daily connections to Amritsar, Goa, Kochi and Ahmedabad. In keeping with our aggressive growth plans, we will continue to introduce new routes in the coming months.
The International Air Transport Association and international airlines operating to India have criticised the high tariffs and taxes on aviation fuel here. What policy changes do you want to see in India? Will those be necessary before you invest in India?
The Indian aviation sector needs to look at growing airport infrastructure and modernise air space management for better utilisation of airport capacity. It is extremely important for India to have a strong aviation regulator to ensure airport charges are capped for growth in the aviation market. This is important not only for foreign carriers, but more so for Indian carriers. A strong regulator is crucial for passengers, as well as operators.
With the current set of policies in Indian aviation, one has to manage efficiently and effectively. Only then will it be lucrative. However, with the changes in policies introduced by the Indian government, it has given a glimmer of hope to domestic and international airlines.
How important is India to Qatar Airways? How does it rank with other markets in terms of revenue and passenger volume? What was the growth in the past few years?
The airline has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operations, to the point that it now flies a modern fleet of 131 aircraft to 137 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, West Asia, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. India is an important market for Qatar Airways and is given special emphasis in our aggressive growth plans. We introduced Qatar Airways' Dreamliner on two of our important routes - to Delhi and Bangalore.
Our aggressive growth strategy has always stressed on the significance of the Indian market; we plan to seek more capacity in India, increase frequency on existing routes and recruit more people from India.
Qatar Airways has been unable to capture corporate business. Other Gulf airlines have a dedicated lounge or offer chauffeur driven transport to business or first class passengers. What is your strategy to woo corporates and do you see growth in this segment?
Infact it is completely the opposite. Qatar Airways is known for setting new industry benchmarks and product innovation. We operate the world’s first dedicated commercial passenger premium terminal exclusively for first and business class passengers at Doha International Airport. Similarly, our London Heathrow Premium Lounge takes the travel experience to a new level.
The innovative premium terminal facilities are designed to provide Qatar Airways’ most loyal customers unmatched comfort and hospitality prior to boarding. We understand the needs of corporate/business travellers from this part of the world, which has witnessed an increase, and we are delighted to be a favoured choice for this segment, too.
The New Doha airport is expected to be operational by month end. Currently Doha lags behind Dubai or Sharjah as a transit hub. How do you propose to change this?
Doha is the operational hub of Qatar Airways with over 22 million passengers flying annually to and from Doha, with a majority of them being transit passengers. The airline has played a leading role in positioning Doha as the future aviation hub.
Qatar Airways will move its entire operations to the new airport in Doha - Hamad International Airport - by the end of this year. We will work closely with the first movers to ensure a smooth transition of flights from the current Doha International Airport.
US routes are the biggest source market for Qatar Airways in India (after Qatar). Competition is intense on the US routes and Qatar Airways too is expanding network through own flights and code share. What is the airline's strategy to grab a larger pie of India-US traffic?
The US route is one of the most popular long-haul routes from India. At present the Qatar Airways' US network consists of Houston, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia and Montreal. The airline has increased capacity with more choice of flights. This will be followed by adding Miami in June 2014 and Dallas/Fort Worth in July 2014 to its set of destinations in the US. This coupled with the airlines entry into the oneworld alliance gives our passengers better convenience, more travel options and a wider global network of routes to travel to the US.
Post-Jet Airways-Etihad alliance the competitive landscape for international aviation in India has changed. How does Qatar Airways plan to meet the challenge?
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The state of Qatar is said to have sought a massive revision in bilateral seat entitlement available to carriers of India and Qatar (from existing 24,000 seats/week to 72,000 seats/week). Indian carriers have not shown much interest to expand services to Qatar. How do you plan to convince the Indian government on the issue?
No comments
How does Qatar Airways plan to expand in India? Does it plan to open new routes such as those to Lucknow and Jaipur, or add capacity to existing routes?
Since 2004, when Qatar Airways flew to only four cities in India, the airline has increased capacity and destinations across the country to 12 cities, with overall frequency of 95 passenger flights and 15 freight services a week.
India is growing as an economic hub and shows enormous potential. As the Indian aviation sector prepares for its next phase, it will witness increasing demand from new metro cities and this increasing demand from tier-II markets will be a key growth driver for the sector.
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This is one of the major reasons we have daily connections to Amritsar, Goa, Kochi and Ahmedabad. In keeping with our aggressive growth plans, we will continue to introduce new routes in the coming months.
The International Air Transport Association and international airlines operating to India have criticised the high tariffs and taxes on aviation fuel here. What policy changes do you want to see in India? Will those be necessary before you invest in India?
The Indian aviation sector needs to look at growing airport infrastructure and modernise air space management for better utilisation of airport capacity. It is extremely important for India to have a strong aviation regulator to ensure airport charges are capped for growth in the aviation market. This is important not only for foreign carriers, but more so for Indian carriers. A strong regulator is crucial for passengers, as well as operators.
With the current set of policies in Indian aviation, one has to manage efficiently and effectively. Only then will it be lucrative. However, with the changes in policies introduced by the Indian government, it has given a glimmer of hope to domestic and international airlines.
How important is India to Qatar Airways? How does it rank with other markets in terms of revenue and passenger volume? What was the growth in the past few years?
The airline has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operations, to the point that it now flies a modern fleet of 131 aircraft to 137 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, West Asia, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. India is an important market for Qatar Airways and is given special emphasis in our aggressive growth plans. We introduced Qatar Airways' Dreamliner on two of our important routes - to Delhi and Bangalore.
Our aggressive growth strategy has always stressed on the significance of the Indian market; we plan to seek more capacity in India, increase frequency on existing routes and recruit more people from India.
Qatar Airways has been unable to capture corporate business. Other Gulf airlines have a dedicated lounge or offer chauffeur driven transport to business or first class passengers. What is your strategy to woo corporates and do you see growth in this segment?
Infact it is completely the opposite. Qatar Airways is known for setting new industry benchmarks and product innovation. We operate the world’s first dedicated commercial passenger premium terminal exclusively for first and business class passengers at Doha International Airport. Similarly, our London Heathrow Premium Lounge takes the travel experience to a new level.
The innovative premium terminal facilities are designed to provide Qatar Airways’ most loyal customers unmatched comfort and hospitality prior to boarding. We understand the needs of corporate/business travellers from this part of the world, which has witnessed an increase, and we are delighted to be a favoured choice for this segment, too.
The New Doha airport is expected to be operational by month end. Currently Doha lags behind Dubai or Sharjah as a transit hub. How do you propose to change this?
Doha is the operational hub of Qatar Airways with over 22 million passengers flying annually to and from Doha, with a majority of them being transit passengers. The airline has played a leading role in positioning Doha as the future aviation hub.
Qatar Airways will move its entire operations to the new airport in Doha - Hamad International Airport - by the end of this year. We will work closely with the first movers to ensure a smooth transition of flights from the current Doha International Airport.
US routes are the biggest source market for Qatar Airways in India (after Qatar). Competition is intense on the US routes and Qatar Airways too is expanding network through own flights and code share. What is the airline's strategy to grab a larger pie of India-US traffic?
The US route is one of the most popular long-haul routes from India. At present the Qatar Airways' US network consists of Houston, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia and Montreal. The airline has increased capacity with more choice of flights. This will be followed by adding Miami in June 2014 and Dallas/Fort Worth in July 2014 to its set of destinations in the US. This coupled with the airlines entry into the oneworld alliance gives our passengers better convenience, more travel options and a wider global network of routes to travel to the US.
Post-Jet Airways-Etihad alliance the competitive landscape for international aviation in India has changed. How does Qatar Airways plan to meet the challenge?
No comments
The state of Qatar is said to have sought a massive revision in bilateral seat entitlement available to carriers of India and Qatar (from existing 24,000 seats/week to 72,000 seats/week). Indian carriers have not shown much interest to expand services to Qatar. How do you plan to convince the Indian government on the issue?
No comments