Qatar Airways, one of the biggest long-haul carriers in the world, would go for an IPO – but investors eyeing a chance will need to wait quite a bit. According to Akbar Al Baker, its CEO, a stock market float would have to wait until 2030.
The Gulf country’s flag carrier became fully government-owned in 2014 after Qatar’s sovereign fund bought a 50 percent stake from a former prime minister and other shareholders. Qatar Airways also holds a 25 percent stake in European airline major IAG, which owns British Airways.
Despite Qatar Airways being a giant in international travel, any IPO in the region will be more of a ‘development project’ for the country it is being held in, said Al Baker.
Regardless of the purpose of the listing, investors will be making a beeline for the aviation giant. Qatar Airways, which grew its long-haul market during the pandemic, is up for a World Cup-sized boost a the end of this year.
The financial year 2021-2022 has been the “strongest” in the history of the airline, said Al Baker during a virtual event last week. “What is important for us is that we showed how resilient and flexible the airline is and that we are not going to slow down or shrink the company. We will take every single opportunity we get to expand our business.”
