Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker receives a memento from Montreal mayor, Gerald Tremblay

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker outlined the importance of growing trade links between Canada and Qatar during a keynote business address in Montreal – his third visit to the city since the airline began Canadian flights ten months ago.

Al Baker was invited to deliver the main address at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations (CORIM) Business Series Luncheon, where over 230 executives from the Montreal business community attended to hear him speak on the topic of Gulf States: Rising Business Opportunities.

The airline’s chief executive provided an informative overview of the strong Canadian business links between the State of Qatar and Canada.

He highlighted the massive ongoing infrastructure, construction and real estate projects in Qatar and discussed the growing presence of Canadian business in Qatar.

“Qatar is an avid supporter of the Canadian brand, and opportunities are boundless for Canadian businesses to contribute to the burgeoning infrastructure projects across a range of sectors, in addition to an industry which closely brings our countries together – oil and gas,” remarked Al Baker.

As a strong lever and enabler to the economic ties between both countries, Al Baker spoke about the significance of Qatar Airways’ Montreal services, the only Gulf carrier flying to the Canadian city.

A key component in his address was the praise of the airline’s successful Canadian operations, impressively performing and exceeding expectations in less than a year of being introduced.

Drawing attention to the subject of bilateral traffic rights, his address mentioned the airline’s calls for additional landing rights in Canada, enabling it to expand operations to Montreal as well as other Canadian cities.

He supported his points with examples of the flourishing business landscape in Qatar and the growing number of Canadian businesses currently operating in Qatar, which reinforces the mutually beneficial opportunities that would arise from strengthening the air bridge between the two countries.

Qatar Airways operates three-times-weekly passenger services between Montreal and Doha, in addition to thrice-weekly cargo services to Toronto, which began last November.