Qatar Airways CEO Says Slump Concern Won’t Halt Growth ‘Gamble’ - BusinessWeek

Qatar Airways, the Middle Eastern carrier with $35 billion of planes on order, will stick with its expansion plans even amid mounting evidence that global growth is set to slow, Chief Executive Officer Akbar al-Baker said.

“At a time of gloom, global recession and financial crisis, we are adding 15 destinations, we take gambles,” al- Baker said in a Bloomberg Television interview in Dubai.

Qatar Airways, which has orders and options for 178 Airbus SAS and Boeing Co. planes, will add flights from its base in Doha to European cities including Brussels, Budapest and Nice on the French Riviera and Asian locations including Phuket in Thailand and Hanoi, Vietnam, in the coming 12 months, he said.