Qatar open to Cardiff amid Mid East dispute
Qatar Airways will be launching its first direct flight from Wales to the Middle East next year.
The deal – which will see a daily service provide a direct connection for passengers to one of the biggest hub airports in the world – is a major boost for the Welsh economy.
But in the Middle East there is a growing diplomatic crisis between the peninsula nation and its neighbours Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.
The CEO of Qatar Airways, in an interview with the local media outlet Al Jazeera, has condemned the involvement of US President Donald Trump.
The decision by the four nations to sever ties with Qatar, which has included a blockade on the Saudi border and Qataris being expelled from the countries, has raised fears for air travel in the region.
Qatar has been accused of supporting terrorism, which it strenuously denies. While Qatar Airways recently announced record profits, the airline is concerned for its future. The date of the first Qatar flights to Cardiff are expected soon, following the huge coup for the Rhoose-based airport in attracting a major airline.
Akbar al-Baker, the chief executive officer of Qatar Airways, was interviewed by Al Jazeera this week and discussed the diplomatic crisis and the impact it will have on the airline.
“Qatar is very resilient, and Qatar also has friends,” Al-Baker said.
“And we have managed to make sure that life will continue as normal. For an airline, for us, the biggest priority is for us to have a gateway in and out of my country, which we are very successfully handling, and at the same time, it is our passengers for which it is our responsibility.”
Mr Al-Baker accused the UAE and Bahrain of illegally blocking airspace: “The airspace that they have blocked does not belong to them, it belongs to the international community.”
He says the two countries are in violation of the Chicago Convention.
At the moment flights in and out of the airport in Doha travel through Iranian airspace.
Mr Al-Baker said he is “very disappointed in the leadership of the United States”.
“How can I call him my friend, when he is standing on the other side against my country – unfairly?” he said in response to a question on his relations with President Trump.
Last week President Trump said: “The nation of Qatar has unfortunately been a funder of terrorism and at a very high level. The time has come to call on Qatar to end its funding.”
However, this was at odds with the stance of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has been pushing for an easing of the ban. And yesterday Qatar signed a deal with the US for more than $21bn worth of weapons.