By: Amr Adel

Dubai - Mubasher: Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker, said on Monday that his company will continue to expand in the United States despite the recent decline in the number of passengers after the electronic devices ban.

Al Baker said in a press conference during the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai that Qatar Airways will not reduce the number of its flights to the US, where it will keep expanding and marketing more flights.

There has been a decline in the number of passengers after the ban, but it remains under control, the CEO noted.

Al Baker accused Delta, United, and American Airlines of intimidating the gulf carriers, saying that the policies of the US president, Donald Trump, only serves the American carriers.

The CEO of Qatar Airways asked American companies to look into his company’s financial statements for 2015-2016 to see that it did not obtain any government support or subsides, adding that American companies are having benefits from the government including tax cuts.

When asked about what would Qatar Airways do if New Zealand was to take similar extra security measures as those implemented by the US, UK, and Australia, he said that the company may freeze its operations and flights to the country.

Al Baker also revealed that Qatar Airways will sign in the next couple of days an agreement to purcashe a stake in the Italian airliners Meridiana.

Today, Qatar Airways announced 12 new destinations for 2017 and 2018, including San Francisco, Cardiff, Malaga, Accra, Kiev, Prague, Mombasa, Mykonos, and Abidjan.