Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways, and Founder and Chairman of the Moodie Davitt Report, Martin Moodie, during the opening of the Trinity Forum 2019 held at St. Regis yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula
Qatar has emerged victorious from the illegal blockade imposed by siege countries, said Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways, yesterday. Speaking at the 2019 Trinity Forum, which is being jointly hosted by Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport and Qatar Duty Free (QDF) at St. Regis Hotel, he said the country has seen growth in all the sectors since the imposition of illegal blockade.
“The blockade has made us a winner. Today we are very much self sustaining economy, we have become self sufficient in a lot of things. It has made us more independent, it has made us more proud and what it has done that it has showed to the world that no matter how small a country you are, when it comes to sovereignty, when it comes the dignity, when it comes to our self respect that even a small nation can stand up to big nations and be very proud,” said Akbar Al Baker.
He added that the whole world has seen that siege countries have failed and that Qatar has persevered and people have started to recognise that the accusation that siege countries had made against Qatar were false.
Hundreds of airport and retail industry leaders from around the world have gathered in Doha for the first day of the 2019 Trinity Forum which is being held under the patronage of Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti.
The Trinity Forum is an annual event organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, Airports Council International (ACI), and ACI Asia-Pacific that aims to explore how airports, concessionaires, and brands can work together for the benefit of consumers. This year’s edition marks the first time the conference is hosted in Qatar and co-hosted by an airline carrier.
In his speech, Akbar Al Baker talked about the importance of innovation and creativity for the airport retail industry.
“The retail environment at airports plays an important part in a passenger’s journey, and the Qatar Airways Group is unique in the industry in its ability to manage and deliver an outstanding customer experience across all touch points through our own trinity of airline, airport and retailer. Together, we are able to implement next generation ideas and enhancements,” said Akbar Al Baker.
“As we expand Hamad International Airport, it is even more important to provide an airport experience like never before to our passengers. To do this, we will be looking to continue our long-standing relationships with existing partners, as well as introducing new ones. The 2019 Trinity Forum provides a great opportunity to foster new partnerships,” he said.
