Qatar Airways to join OneWorld on 30th October 2013

Qatar Airways will become a full member of oneworld with effect from October 30, 2013. The airline will be only one of the ‘Gulf Big Three’ carriers slated to join any of the global airline alliances, a release stated. It received clearance to board oneworld after successfully completing a thorough review of its readiness, conducted by British Airways, which is sponsoring Qatar Airways’ entry into the alliance, with oneworld’s central team.

Qatar Airways’ addition to oneworld will come shortly before the airline moves into its new home base, Hamad International Airport, which has been designed to strengthen Doha’s position as a premium global hub, with an eventual capacity for 50 million passengers a year.

The airline completes its oneworld implementation programme just one year after receiving its invitation to join, announced in October 2012. This will make its induction into the airline alliance one of the fastest in the alliance’s history. Normally it takes around 18 months for any airline to be readied to enter any alliance.