DOHA— Qatar Airways (QR) has finally given the aviation world its first real look at Hamad Al-Khater, the carrier’s new chief executive, nearly six months after he took charge. Al-Khater spoke publicly for the first time at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Rio de Janeiro (GIG), where he sat down for a pointed interview with broadcaster Richard Quest.
The appearance ended a long silence around the executive, who previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha. His arrival marks the third leadership change at Qatar Airways in roughly three years, a pattern that has drawn questions across the industry.
Qatar Airways CEO Gives First Interview
Qatar Airways has cycled through three chief executives in a remarkably short window. Akbar Al Baker led the airline for 27 years and is widely credited with building it into a global powerhouse. He abruptly resigned in late 2023, a departure whose timing and wording suggested it may not have been entirely voluntary.
Al Baker was replaced by Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, who had been Chief Operating Officer at Hamad International Airport.
Al-Meer earned a reputation as approachable and hands-on, reportedly spending weekends walking through airports and assisting passengers. He helped lift staff morale and kept the airline moving in the same strategic direction.
After about two years, Al-Meer also resigned with immediate effect. Qatar Airways then named Hamad Al-Khater as its successor in late 2025.
Notably, Al-Khater held the exact same airport role that Al-Meer had occupied before his own promotion, again placing an executive with airport experience but limited direct airline background at the top of the company, OMAAT reported.
The Quiet Tenure Before The Interview
What set Al-Khater apart was how little the public heard from him. For nearly six months, there were no interviews and almost no press releases quoting him.
That contrasted sharply with Al-Meer, who shared his vision openly from his first days in the role despite holding a similar background.
Industry observers had also pointed to Thierry Antinori, Qatar Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, as a constant presence through all the changes. Antinori has remained a steady figure across each transition and is widely viewed as the executive quietly guiding the airline’s commercial strategy.
Richard Quest Presses On The Tough Questions
The IATA AGM gave Al-Khater his first major public platform, and Quest used the interview to confront the questions surrounding the leadership turnover directly.
Quest noted that Qatar Airways had cycled through three CEOs in as many years, adding that the reasons behind the previous chief’s exit and the new appointment remained unexplained. He said the wider aviation world was watching and asking what was happening at the airline.
Al-Khater responded by framing the situation differently, saying, “To put things into perspective, I’m the third CEO in 30 years.” Quest pushed back, pointing out that the first CEO had served 25 of those years, so the real focus was on decisions made in just the past few seasons, which he described as “somewhat byzantine.”
Al-Khater attributed his appointment to the board, stating, “This was a board-predicted decision.” He added that the leadership remained aligned, saying, “We are captains of the same ship, steering it in the same direction,” and pledged that Qatar Airways would continue to be the best airline in the world with renewed focus on passengers and growth.
Quest did not soften his line of questioning. He told Al-Khater that, by one recent account, he appeared to have “slender qualifications for this particular role as CEO of one of the world’s major airlines,” calling it an undeniable fact. A separate clip from the interview saw Al-Khater address how passenger demand had held up during the regional conflict.
What The Interview Revealed
The conversation offered the industry its first clear impression of the new chief executive. Al-Khater came across as articulate and well spoken, putting to rest any assumption that a language barrier had kept him out of the spotlight.
The substance of his answers, however, leaned heavily on familiar industry language rather than a distinct new vision.
He largely signaled continuity, promising to steer the airline in the same direction rather than outlining sweeping changes. The core mystery behind the rapid succession of leaders at Qatar Airways still remains unexplained.
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