Qatar Airways has reported a sharp increase in losses in its latest set of financial results, as the airline struggles with a boycott by neighboring countries which has now lasted two-and-a-half years. Revenues were up 14% year-on-year to $13.2bn, but operating costs have increased more rapidly. As a result of the boycott, Qatar Airways is forced to fly around the airspace of Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, meaning longer journeys for its planes which consequently burn more fuel. A Qatar Airways Airbus A350 taking off from Toulouse-Blagnac airport, near Toulouse, France on ... [+] September 27, 2019. Among other things, Qatar Airways now has to work harder to attract passengers – advertising and promotion costs rose by 35% last year.

Source: Forbes January 16, 2020 12:33 UTC