When Hamad Ali Al-Khater became Qatar Airways Group CEO in December 2025, Australia was among the first markets on his agenda.
He had planned to visit in March 2026, just months into his tenure. But the world had other plans.
The outbreak of war in the Middle East threw the airline into crisis-management mode, with the Gulf carrier processing a staggering US$1.6 billion in passenger refunds in just four weeks.
Now, finally in Sydney, Al-Khater outlines a clear strategy for maintaining passenger confidence, while remaining refreshingly candid about the realities of navigating such an extraordinary crisis.
“There were tears,” he joked at a media briefing held at Capella Sydney on Saturday 24 October, acknowledging that even an airline well-versed in disruption had found itself severely tested.
Yet amid the uncertainty, one priority remained non-negotiable: passenger trust.
“We took a very measured approach, and we said that if trust is eroded, then a passenger will never [use] us again,” he said in response to a question from Travel Weekly about how the airline had maintained the confidence of Australian travellers and travel agents.
“We had about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars of refunds in about four weeks.”
For airlines, trust can be one of the hardest things to rebuild after a crisis.
In Australia, the legacy of COVID-era flight credits continues to linger. In March 2026, Qantas agreed to a $105 million settlement of a class action concerning refunds for cancelled flights during the pandemic, without admitting liability.
Meanwhile, Virgin Australia faced renewed criticism in June over approximately $93 million in unclaimed COVID-era flight credits, extending the travel deadline for eligible customers amid concerns about credits expiring.
But if there is one airline accustomed to weathering storms, it is Qatar Airways.
From the 2017 diplomatic blockade, which forced the airline to reroute flights around neighbouring countries, to the COVID-19 pandemic and the latest Middle East conflict, the carrier has repeatedly been forced to adapt to circumstances beyond its control.
Al-Khater described the airline as having developed a “resilience kind of muscle memory” through successive crises, with crisis management now “embedded in our DNA”.
Rather than simply trying to keep as many flights operating as possible, Qatar Airways made the difficult decision to prioritise certainty for passengers.
US$1.6 billion in refunds and 40 per cent of network cancelled
Al-Khater revealed that at the end of March 2026, Qatar Airways deliberately cancelled approximately 40 per cent of its network for the following two months, rather than subject passengers to constantly changing schedules.
“We need to preserve that schedule and its stability because passengers will prefer that over an erratic schedule that’s going to go up and down,” he said.
The decision formed part of a wider strategy to provide passengers with realistic expectations about which flights would operate, rather than leave them facing repeated cancellations.
The airline also enlisted the support of 47 other carriers to help disrupted travellers reach their destinations, with approximately 200,000 passengers accommodated through its partner network.
Despite the extraordinary volume of refunds, Al-Khater insisted Qatar Airways remained on solid financial footing.
“I think our liquidity is in a healthy space, and we have a healthy balance sheet,” he said.
The airline’s response extended beyond refunds and rebookings.
At the height of the disruption, approximately 7,000 passengers were stranded in Qatar, where the airline arranged four- and five-star hotel accommodation and three meals a day in cooperation with the country’s tourism authorities.
Al-Khater recalled that seven passengers even asked whether they could extend their stays after the disruption had ended.
The anecdote reflects a philosophy he has instilled in his team: to “delight in disruption”, rather than simply manage it.
The airline has since made significant progress in rebuilding its network, with operations recovering to approximately 90 to 92 per cent of pre-conflict levels and passenger load factors exceeding 86 per cent.
Can Australians trust Qatar Airways this Christmas?
With the busy Christmas travel period approaching, Travel Weekly asked Al-Khater what assurances the airline could offer Australian travellers and travel agents concerned about another escalation in the Middle East.
He said Qatar Airways had developed contingency plans allowing it to rapidly increase or reduce capacity depending on the circumstances.
“We’re prepared. We have resiliency programs in place,” he said.
The airline demonstrated that flexibility during its recovery, rebuilding from approximately 60 per cent to 85 per cent of its pre-conflict network capacity by mid-June 2026.
Al-Khater said the carrier had also responded quickly to a further escalation in July, adjusting operations in line with changing conditions.
Clear communication and passenger protection measures would remain central to its response should further disruption occur.
Australia remains central to Qatar Airways’ ambitions
The question of trust is particularly significant in Australia, a market Al-Khater described as an important contributor to Qatar Airways’ revenue.
Despite the challenges of recent months, the airline is pressing ahead with its expansion Down Under, including additional services, a growing partnership with Virgin Australia and plans to launch flights to Western Sydney International Airport on 15 December 2027.
The new Western Sydney service will initially operate three times a week, adding to the carrier’s existing Australian network.
Together, Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia are targeting approximately 70 weekly flights by the end of 2026.
Al-Khater also highlighted the importance of Australia’s travel trade, pointing to long-standing relationships with major agency partners and continued demand for premium leisure travel.
For a carrier investing heavily in the Australian market, restoring operations is only part of the challenge.
The other is ensuring passengers and travel agents have the confidence to keep booking.
And as Al-Khater made clear, that confidence can be far harder to recover than a disrupted flight schedule.
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