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Qatar Airways landed the first flight to Houston from Doha, Qatar this week — an event that was almost two years in the making. The airline’s CEO, Akbar Al Baker, was on the inaugural 18-hour flight, but instead of sitting back and enjoying his company’s latest achievement, Al Baker told a group of dinner guests later that night that he spent the entire flight pacing up and down the airplane’s aisles making sure everything was in order.
To hear him talk about the issues on his plate, it’s no surprise that Al Baker would rather tend to business than get some shut-eye. Al Baker became Qatar Airways’ CEO in 1997, about three years after the airline first received the highest five-star ranking from SkyTrax, an independent airline industry audit. Qatar Airways has since grown from a four-aircraft regional airline to operating a fleet of 68 aircraft that flies to more than 80 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, the Far East and North America.
Al Baker is also leading development of the multibillion-dollar Doha International Airport, scheduled to open in 2012. When he isn’t running Qatar Airways, he enjoys speed-flying Seneca airplanes and driving his Ferrari 430.
source: houston.bizjournals.com
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