Qatar Airways profit and passenger numbers dented

Qatar Airways reported a decline in yearly profits and passengers carried, but the flag carrier is aiming to rebuild its operations following the impact of the Iran war.

The airline reported post-tax profit of QAR7.1 billion ($1.94 billion) for 2025-26, down about 9 percent from a record QAR7.8 billion in the previous year.

The number of passengers carried also declined by about 3 percent year on year to 42 million across the same period. The cargo division also declined, carrying 1.4 million tonnes of freight, down about 9 percent year on year.

Qatar Airways group CEO Hamad Al-Khater praised the company’s performance during the conflict, which shut Qatari airspace and grounded aircraft.

“Behind every result are 57,800 people, working across more than 90 countries. In the final weeks of the financial year, many of them were managing an active crisis with a standard of professionalism that defines this organisation as much as any financial metric, and it deserves to be recognised,” Al-Khater said.

Qatar Airways cancelled 87 percent of its 5,697 flights in the first month of the Iran war, according to data issued by aviation analytics company Cirium on March 27.

• James Hogan: Gulf airlines need up to 2 years to recover from war
• Qatar Airways named most emission-efficient large carrier
• Qatar Airways CEO expects Airbus deliveries this year

The airline is “actively rebuilding” its global network and is aiming to expand to 160 destinations by this summer, the CEO said.

Rival Gulf carrier Emirates Airline earlier this month posted record annual results, with profit before tax up 7 percent to AED22.8 billion ($6.2 billion) in the year to March 31.

Revenue rose 2 percent to AED131 billion, while the airline carried 53 million passengers during the year, down 1 percent on 2024-25.