Globsl aviation industry has been among the worsthit due to the coronavirus outbreak over the past few months, as the travel demand plummeted and the governments across the globe restricted travel to prevent the spread of the pandemic. However, Qatar’s national flag carrier kept flying through the crisis, taking people home across the world and its cargo service delivering essential supplies in regions most affected by the pandemic. In fact Qatar Airways never left the skies and even flew to new destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airline has emerged as the largest passenger and cargo airline globally over the past three months, taking people home on more flights to more destinations than any other airline. It has won applause from passengers, governments and industry partners for operating over 15,000 flights to take over 1.8 million people home and delivering over 200,000 tonnes of essential supplies.
Figures released by the International Air Transport Association show Qatar Airways’ over 1.3 billion revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) during April accounted for 17.8 percent of the global market, over triple its nearest competitor and more than the next four airlines combined. Its cargo operations represented 7.2 percent of the global cargo market during the same period. The airline has also operated over 220 charters and extra sector flights during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Qatar Airways has also led the way as the airlines are cautiously planning to return to skies as governments ease coronavirus-related travel restrictions. QA is currently operating more than 170 weekly flights to over 40 destinations and plans to reopen over half of the routes it was serving before the pandemic, by the end of the summer season. However, as the global aviation industry charts its path back to business, it must deal with a new challenge — protecting passengers and crew from the coronavirus. Qatar Airways and its home and hub, the Hamad International Airport, have put in place a number of safety and hygiene measures to ensure the safety of the passengers and the staff.
The airline has introduced personal protective equipment (PPE) suits for cabin crew while onboard while its modified service has reduced the interaction between the passengers and the crew inflight. While the airport has put in place thermal screening and installed sanitising stations throughout the terminal building in addition to other precautionary measures, it has made the use of face masks mandatory and has recommended that passengers carry alcohol-based hand sanitising solutions for the duration of their journey.
