Qatar Airways CEO Wants to Avoid Airfare Hikes: ‘We Don’t Want to Pass It on to Our Customers Just Yet’

Photo Credit: Qatar Airways CEO Hamed Al-Khater speaks at the Skift Global Forum in New York City on September 23, 2026. Skift Qatar Airways CEO Hamed Al-Khater said the carrier is not ready to pass on fuel costs to customers just yet, citing a competitive landscape in the Middle East. “We're just kicking the can down the road from that side of things, and as a result, we just have to get used to this fuel price that's higher,” he said at the Skift Global Forum in New York City on Wednesday. “We don't want to pass it to our customers just yet. That's going to be an option of last resort, just because of the competitive landscape.” Fuel prices have surged once again in recent weeks as attacks in the Iran war intensified. Qatar Airways, like other Middle Eastern carriers, have been hit particularly hard by the crisis due to airspace closures in the region and a drop in demand.