Qatar Airways has described the Iran conflict as the airline’s biggest crisis in more than 30 years, with Group CEO Hamad Al-Khater saying the carrier has had to adjust operations, network planning and commercial strategy as airspace disruption continues across the Gulf and wider Middle East. The Doha-based airline is managing higher fuel costs, schedule changes and shifting demand while protecting its role as a major long-haul transit hub.
The carrier has been reworking its route network and focusing on profitability as regional tensions persist, including pausing some less lucrative services. It has already restored much of its pre-war network, but continued restrictions and unstable overflight conditions have kept pressure on operations and booking patterns.
Fuel has also become a sharper burden. Al-Khater cited prices of about $182 per barrel, roughly 90% above late-February levels, as the airline contends with a conflict that has now stretched into its seventh month. The remarks came ahead of the Qatar Economic Forum in New York, where the broader impact on Gulf aviation and long-haul network carriers remains a key concern.