The Resignation of Akbar Al Baker and its Impact on the Air Transport Landscape in the Gulf

2023-10-29 23:50:19

The announced resignation of Akbar Al Baker from his position as Chairman and Managing Director of Qatar Airways was, to say the least, a huge surprise, especially since it was announced in a very terse manner, suggesting all kinds of no -said. In any case, this perhaps marks the beginning of major upheavals in the air transport landscape in this region of the globe. However, what happens in the Gulf impacts the entire international aspect of this sector of activity.

Jean-Louis Baroux, President of World Connect by APG

Al Baker is the first of the big players in the sector to leave his place. Known for his cookie-cutter statements, but ultimately always well-adjusted, he shook the big players including Airbus with whom he came into conflict over questions of quality of exterior paint of the aircraft. We have never known the compromise that Qatar Airways and Airbus reached to put an end to what turned out to be a very long-term trial capable of sustaining large law firms handsomely for years. Proof that Al Baker knew how to stop and chat.

At the head of the Qatari company since 1997, three years following it began operations, he succeeded in making it a major player in international air transport, transporting more than 30 million passengers, mainly on long haul flights, with 255 new aircraft. generation. The surprising thing in the story comes from the fact that the company had placed an order for 195 new planes, which clearly shows that its leader had great ambitions until recently. We do not yet know what justified his resignation and we do not yet know his successor Badr Mohammed Al-Meer who heads the operations of Doha airport of which, incidentally, Al Baker was the President.

In short, all that remains is to note the disappearance of a key player in a landscape in the process of transformation. Indeed, we must also expect changes at the head of Emirates Airlines. Its CEO Sir Tim Clark had also announced his desire to resign to benefit from a well-deserved retirement, but the Covid happened and he still runs the company that he has brought to the forefront of airline operators in 30 years. international with the unwavering support of Sheik Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the company which represents the emirate of Dubai, its owner. Only Sir Tim is getting older, even if it doesn’t show. He was born in 1949, making him 74 years old and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him now take a step back. Certainly Al Maktoum is 9 years his junior and he can ensure continuity, but the change of direction at the head of Dubai transport is certainly in the tunnel.

And in the meantime, Saudi Arabia is pushing its pawns under the leadership of its current de facto leader, Mohamed Ben Salman, better known by his initials MBS. At the helm since 2017 of a country whose financial capacities are colossal, he has undertaken a work of modernization which involves the renewal of its air transport with the creation of two new and powerful companies: Riyad Air and Neom Airlines. The ambitions of these two companies match those of the country. Tony Douglas, the CEO of Riyad Air, certainly has revenge to take for his time at Etihad Airways, which ended badly through no fault of his own.

With, in the near future, three new leaders at the head of two of the world’s largest carriers, and a third with very strong ambitions, it would be surprising if air transport in this region does not undergo significant upheavals. At the moment it is difficult to predict which directions they will take; we will have to wait for the political situation to stabilize. We can nevertheless predict that the fight between these three contenders for first place in air transport will be fierce. The Asian and African markets are sufficiently dynamic to support a supply which without them would become plethoric. All that remains is to see what the fourth player in the region will do, I am talking regarding Turkish Airlines whose ambitions match Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In recent years we have witnessed the slow decline of Europe under ecological pressure. The big game has now moved to the east of the planet. Will European and Western air transport be able to reconquer its past positions?

Par Jean-Louis BarouxColumnist –
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#Upheavals #Gulf