Energy News

Fuel surcharge depends on oil price: Al-Baker

Tue 26 Shawwal 1439 10-7-2018
QGN Bureau Staff
Fuel surcharge on tickets will be considered by Qatar Airways if the “oil price goes above a certain mark”, said the airline’s chief executive Akbar al-Baker. “We already have a fuel hedging.Unfortunately, the hedge was at a higher price than what the oil price is today, because we were expecting the oil price to rise very steeply,” al-Baker told Gulf Times yesterday.  “However, once the oil price goes above a certain mark, which we are not going to tell you, because it is an internal QR matter… yes surcharge will be put on the tickets,” al-Baker said.
Al-Baker during the recent media event at Boeing production facility in Everett, Washington.
Al-Baker during the recent media event at Boeing production facility in Everett, Washington.

He said, “This will be done not only by Qatar Airways… some airlines have already started putting surcharge, which we haven’t yet. So, there will be airlines putting surcharges… and in line with them, QR will be one of them.” Al-Baker, however, noted that Qatar Airways has “already factored the rising oil price into our budget” for the current financial year.  On Qatar Airways’ network expansion, he said, “Hopefully by 2022, we will reach close to 220 destinations and including our freighter destinations, we will be crossing 250 by then.”

Qatar Airways now flies to more than 150 business and leisure destinations worldwide.  Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld global alliance. Qatar Airways was the first Gulf carrier to join global airline alliance, oneworld, enabling its passengers to benefit from more than 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,250 daily departures.

Sources and photo-credits: Bloomberg, Gulf Times