Mr Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways, has been named as the new chairman of the oneworld governing board. He replaces Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, who had served in the role since September 2018.
Mr Al Baker has served as CEO of Qatar Airways since its inception in 1997, making him one of the longest-serving bosses of an airline. He has previously served as chairman of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Board of Governors, and has been a member of the board since 2012.
He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation and a non-executive Director of Heathrow Airport Holdings. In addition, he serves as Secretary-General of Qatar National Tourism Council.
Qatar Airways joined the oneworld alliance in 2013.
Mr Al Baker said: “I look forward to serving as Chairman of the Governing Board and working with our alliance partners, oneworld CEO Rob Gurney and the oneworld team to provide more global connectivity, a seamless travel experience and more valuable loyalty offerings for our passengers.”
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “As a founding member of oneworld, it has been an honour to serve as the Chairman of the alliance. Akbar is well placed to guide oneworld on its ongoing transformation and we look forward to working with him and member airlines to deliver even more value to oneworld customers.”
oneworld alliance
oneworld currently has 14 member airlines – Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines, and more than 20 of their affiliates.
