Qatar Airways says losses reach $4.1 billion amid pandemic

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Qatar Airways says it suffered a more than $4 billion loss in revenues over the last year, as lockdowns triggered by the coronavirus pandemic slashed demand for air travel. The major loss reported Monday, which it said mostly stemmed from the grounding of its fleet of A380 and A330 jets, highlights the dramatic impact of the pandemic on the aviation industry, despite the state-owned airline’s higher earnings before taxes and other costs compared to the previous year. In the last several months, the flagship carrier has received a boost from an end to a yearslong boycott that locked Qatar Airways out of the airspace of Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.