Qatar Airways chief says airline is now short of aircraft, as growth resumes

More aircraft orders and more international investments could be on the cards as Qatar Airways tries to put its toughest year behind it. But could further losses be on the way too? Last month, Qatar Airways revealed a US$69m loss in the 12 months to the end of March 2018. That was a radical reversal from the $770m profit it made during the previous year – a change the airline said was due to the travel and trade boycott imposed in June 2017 by 4 of its neighbours, led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The airline's CE Akbar Al Baker said the situation has stabilised this year, with growth resuming in terms of both passenger numbers and its route network. However, Al Bakers problem of having too many planes in its fleet is now a thing of the past. “We don't have any excess aircraft. As a matter of fact we are short of aircraft,” he said. <br/>