Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker will step down from his position after leading the company for 27 years and building it into one of the largest global airlines. Al Baker is also Chairman of Qatar Tourism, CEO of Hamad International Airport and CEO of OneWorld. Effective November 5, Al Baker will be succeeded by Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer as Group Chief Executive for Qatar Airways.
Akbar Al Baker was born in Mumbai and graduated from the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics and holds an MBA (Master of Business Administration). Al Baker joined Qatar Airways in 1996 and became CEO in 1997.
In recent years, Al Baker’s service has seen him through several particularly difficult situations such as the 2008 economic crisis, the Qatar blockade, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the legal battle with Airbus and most recently the bilateral issue with Australia.
Baker’s leadership has allowed Qatar Airways to have one of the youngest fleets in the world with new generation aircraft such as Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. He was also involved in the creation of the QSuite, one of the most acclaimed Business Class products in the industry.
In the late 1990s, Qatar Airways was a small airline and today has a fleet of more than 200 aircraft and a network of more than 130 destinations on all continents.
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