Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker will leave his position on Nov. 5, the company confirmed Monday in a surprise announcement.
Airline employees were informed via an internal email on Oct 23. The company then issued a press release confirming Al Baker will be replaced as Group CEO by Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, the COO at Doha Hamad International Airport.
The release gave no reason for the change in leadership. It noted Al Baker’s “27 years of remarkable service” and said Qatar Airways had grown “to become one of the most recognizable and trusted brands globally, synonymous with customer service quality and the highest of standards.”
In the employee email, Al Baker wrote, “It has been an unbelievable privilege to lead such an extraordinary global team and it was the honor of my life to serve my country.”
Al Baker became CEO at Qatar Airways in 1997. The airline was established in 1993 but was transformed under his leadership, growing to a fleet of 250 aircraft and becoming a major global hub carrier that competes with Emirates and Etihad. The airline now serves over 160 destinations.
Al Baker brought Qatar Airways into the oneworld global alliance in 2013 and chairs the organization’s board of governors, a position he has also held in the past.
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