Qatar Airways’ ground handling subsidiary, Qatar Aviation Services (QAS), will expand its operations internationally this year to enhance the airline’s rapid growth plans, Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker has announced.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, he said that such move will also give other airlines and airports access to the QAS’s capabilities and “the profit and performance improvements that it deliver to its customers”.
“We want to progressively roll out across Qatar Airways’ network, especially where we have a very high frequency of operations and an opportunity for us to establish a handling company,” he told reporters.
Describing the international launch of the QAS as a “logical business decision”, al-Baker said that their Ground Services division has contracts with ground handlers across the airline’s extensive network of more than 150 global destinations, which measures their key performance indicators.
“QAS is without doubt a global leader in this area,” he stressed. “It is significant that our plans for international expansion were announced at the IATA Ground Handling Conference, since we have a long-term relationship with IATA.”
Al-Baker noted that the QAS management team holds key positions on the IATA (International Air Transport Association) technical working groups, proposing and implementing developments that improve standards across the aviation industry.
Launched in 2000 as a local ground handling agent (GHA) at Doha International Airport, the QAS is now known for its high-tech, high-traffic, and high-growth environment.
The company provides solutions for customers “that they don’t have access to through other ground handling agents”.
The QAS, the sole ground handling agent at Hamad International Airport (HIA), also manages all ground handling requirements for approximately 225,000 flights annually, with 99.5% on-time performance for all international passengers, cargo and executive jet traffic.
“We keep it as a monopoly operator to make sure that the standard of service we want for Qatar Airways is also provided to everybody else,” al-Baker said. “We will give them the same standard of service because as an airport operator we want more airlines to come and use HIA.” 
The QAS’s ability to stay ahead of the airline’s and the airport’s growth needs and maintain the quality of service delivery has been a driving factor in its success.
It has a multicultural team of 7,487 employees.
An established industry leader, the QAS provides a seamless, round-the-clock operation, which surpasses standard ground handling services.
The QAS is certified in IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations ISO 9001, RA3 (Regulated Agent), and is a member of the IATA Ground Handling Partnership, proactively participating in various IATA technical groups such as IATA Ground Operations Manual, Load Control and Messaging, Ground Service Equipment and Environment, and Airside Safety Group. 

Qatar Airways to add 11 planes

Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker has announced that the airline will add 11 new planes to its fleet this year as it prepares to launch 16 new destinations in 2018 and 2019, after adding 11 new destinations last year.
Speaking during a press conference on the sidelines of the 31st edition of the IATA Ground Handling Services Conference, al-Baker said that Qatar Airways achieved 99.5% of the ground handling accuracy in 2017, providing services to international airlines, private fleets as well as air cargo and other services.
He said that the company delivered 47mn pieces of goods to become one of the least-delayed in delivery of luggage in this sector, with a rate of 0.6 per thousand passengers.
More than 2mn tonnes of cargo were delivered last year at an annual rate of increase 25% through Hamad International Airport, which served 36mn passengers and handled more than 222,000 flights in 2017. – QNA