The boss of Qatar Airways has warned that Dutch companies could face repercussions after Holland moved to temporarily halt granting additional slots to carriers from the Gulf regions.
According to reports in the Wall Street Journal, Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways, said the freeze could have consequences for the allocation of infrastructure projects by the Qatar government, which is valued at around $150 billion in the coming years.
Al Baker said: “If you don’t allow us to benefit in a small way by bringing us additional flights to the Netherlands, then you should not expect a lot of commercial contracts from our government. You should never restrict an airline from growing.”
He said the airline would like to operate two daily flights from Schiphol airport instead of the current six flights a week.
Last week, the Dutch government announced a halt on granting landing slots to Qatar Airlines, Emirates and Etihad Airways, amid allegations that Gulf carriers have benefited from billions of dollars of state support.