Airline boss sorry for woman job 'joke'

© Reuters Akbar Al Baker

The chief executive of Qatar Airways has apologised for saying a woman could not do his job, saying it was "just a joke".

Akbar al-Baker made his remark in Sydney on Tuesday, shortly after he was appointed the chairman of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at its annual meeting.

Responding to a question on whether a woman could do his job, Mr al-Baker told reporters: "Of course it has to be led by a man because it is a very challenging position."

The conference - often dominated by profit predictions and headwinds facing the sector - included a focus on gender diversity as only six of its 280-member airlines have female chief executives.

Mr al-Baker responded to the backlash over his comment by saying: "Quite frankly I think the press took it out of context.

"They blew it out of proportion. It was just a joke. I didn't mean it in the way it was meant to be... I apologise for it."

Asked whether he really believed only a man could do his job, he added: "No, I don't believe that.

"As a matter of fact (at) Air Italy the majority shareholder has shortlisted women to be CEO and as a minority shareholder, we are actively encouraging that."

© Getty A Qatar Airways plane

He also defended his airline's record, saying Qatar was the first Middle East carrier to have female pilots and said 44% of its staff were women.


Mr al-Baker is one of the airline industry's most colourful characters - known for a strong sense of humour - but has a form for controversial comments.

He faced PR turbulence last year after calling US flight attendants "grandmothers" during a trade row with US airlines - a remark for which he also said sorry.

Qatar was recently rated the best global airline by compensation service AirHelp, while the Gulf state's Hamad International Airport - on which Mr al Baker was a lead developer - also scored best among top world destinations.

© Associated Press In this May 6, 2013, photo, a Qatar Airways flight passes overhead in Doha, Qatar. Qatar Airways' chief executive says the carrier will post a loss this year because four other Arab countries have severed land, air and sea links with Qatar. (AP Photo/Penny Wang)

The diversity issue cast a shadow over the IATA meeting, the association also has only two women on its 31-member board.

The boss of British Airways' owner IAG, Willie Walsh, has weighed in on the issue.

He called for IATA to take a lead on improving diversity in the industry as a whole: "If you look at the board it is predominantly middle-aged white men from Europe," he said.

"We have more diversity on the board now than we have had for a long time, and we have to strive to improve that situation."

(Sky News)