Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int'l) is the latest Gulf carrier to eye Barcelona El Prat as a potential intermediate hub for its flights between the Middle East and Latin America. Airline CEO Akbar Al Baker told Spain's La Vanguardia newspaper at the Aviation Partnership Summit that the Qatari carrier, though keen on using Barcelona as a springboard to Latin America, would only do so if fellow Oneworld members such as Iberia (IB, Madrid Barajas) were in agreement.
"If we saw the opportunity, we would. However, it would only be done in total agreement with Iberia, the IAG group company with which Qatar Airways cooperates," he said.
As previously reported, Emirates (EK, Dubai Int'l) has also expressed a strong interest in using Barcelona for its own planned operations to the Americas. The plan, however, is contingent on the United Arab Emirates securing 5th Freedom traffic rights during its Bilateral Air Services Agreement talks with Spain.
Al Baker said Qatar Airways' use of Barcelona would not conflict with Iberia's operations given that IAG CEO Willie Walsh recently stated that until long haul flights out of the Catalan city would be considered profitable, Iberia would continue to use its Madrid Barajas hub as its sole long haul gateway.
Though his airline sees great potential for Spain, the implementation of such a project would ultimately depend on the performance of Qatar Airways and Iberia's Oneworld operations, Al Baker added.
In October, the Qatari carrier took its first steps towards a greater Spanish market presence when it announced a codeshare deal with another IAG affiliate airline, Vueling Airlines (VY, Barcelona El Prat).