World News | Qatar Airways Reports USD 1.2B in Profits After Ferrying Passengers to Last Year's Soccer World Cup

Dubai, Jul 5 (AP) Qatar Airways on Wednesday reported USD 1.2 billion in profits over the past year, buoyed by its role in ferrying fans to the soccer World Cup.

The long-haul airline increased its revenue to USD 21 billion, a 45 per cent increase over the previous year, it said. Its yearly passenger load reached 31.7 million, a 71 per cent increase.

Also Read | Israel To Send Largest-Ever Team to UN Climate Forum in Dubai.

The airline said it transported 1.4 million passengers to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It also expanded its network to more than 160 destinations.

Qatar Airways operates out of a gleaming new airport in Qatar's capital, Doha, and competes with long-haul carriers Emirates and Ettihad, which operate out of the nearby United Arab Emirates.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine Accuse Each Other of Plotting To Attack Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant.

Qatar Airways made it through the pandemic's hardest months with a USD 3 billion lifeline from the Qatari government. Its main competitor, Dubai's flagship Emirates Airline, also received a multibillion-dollar payment by the Dubai government during the pandemic.

The two airlines serve as economic mainstays for their respective countries, which rely heavily on tourists and transit passengers.

The Qatari airline's brand is familiar to European soccer fans, where it has partnerships with FC Bayern München and Paris Saint-Germain. In the United States, it has a brand partnership with the Brooklyn Nets. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)