Qatar Airways CEO talks Boeing delivery delays, new investments in Africa at Doha forum

Planemakers Airbus and Boeing need to put more pressure on their suppliers to reduce the delivery delays of new aircraft that are hindering airlines’ ability to meet travel demand, Qatar Airways CEO said on Wednesday.

“We are … really trying our best to assist both Boeing and Airbus and try to find solutions for them to make sure they deliver,” Badr Mohammed Al Meer said on a panel at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha.

“I know they’re under so much pressure when it comes to the supply chain market .. But they need to put more pressure on those suppliers to make sure that airlines stop the bleeding,” he said while speaking at forum in the country’s capital.

Demand for air travel has rebounded since the pandemic, but planemakers are struggling to get back to previous production levels due to disrupted supply chains and a safety crisis at Boeing.

Qatar Airways is unable to meet high post-COVID demand for travel because of the shortage of new aircraft, Meer said.

#Qatar_Economic_Forum Discusses Impact of Connecting Middle East, Africa on Enhancing Economic Development on the Continent#QNA #Qatarhttps://t.co/iCOMqFKtT7 pic.twitter.com/KooRLpUcQA

— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) May 15, 2024

Qatar Airways to invest in an airline in southern Africa

Qatar Airways will soon announce an investment in an airline in southern Africa, he added on Wednesday, part of the Gulf carrier’s drive to expand its network in Africa.

“We are at the final stage of an equity investment in an airline in the southern part of Africa,” Badr Mohammed Al Meer said on a panel at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, saying the deal could be announced in two to three weeks.

Meer, who became CEO in November, said the southern part of Africa was a gap in Qatar Airways’ network coverage on the continent.

He added that Qatar Airways wants to expand the fleets of its partner airlines in Africa to improve connectivity.

Qatar Airways in 2019 took a 60 per cent stake in a new $1.3bn international airport being built in Rwanda and has code share agreements with several airlines in Africa including Rwandair.

Rwandair CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo, speaking in Doha, said the airport could be incorporated around 2027-28.

Read: Top 100 Most Powerful Arabs 2024: Badr Mohammed Al Meer