More than 700 delegates and guests from various parts of the world have gathered in Doha to take part in the 31st annual IATA Ground Handling Conference (IGHC).

IATA stands for the International Air Transport Association.
The event at the Sheraton Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, is being held under the patronage of Qatar’s Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, who attended the opening on Monday.
“We are tremendously proud to be hosting the 31st Annual IATA Ground Handling Conference, the first time this gathering is taking place in the Middle East,” the minister said in a statement. “It is significant that Doha has been chosen as the inaugural host in the Middle East.”
“The fact that many delegates have attended this year’s conference is a demonstration of confidence in both Qatar Airways and Qatar,” he stressed.
The opening video presentation highlighted Qatar Airways’ resilience amid the “illegal blockade against Qatar” as well as the airline’s myriad of achievements in the past 20 years.
Echoing HE al-Sulaiti’s statement, Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker said that the event gives the airline the opportunity to showcase its highly-reputable ground handling and ground services business.
He stressed the significance of the conference this year, saying that it not only brings together industry representatives from across the globe but also provides a platform to learn from each other and showcase best industry practices.
“Coming here this year in Qatar, it allows you to see and experience first-hand the exponential growth and operating standards that are now our daily practice in this country and across the Qatar Airways Group,” al-Baker noted.
He also highlighted the airline’s achievements, in particular winning Skytrax’s World's Best Airline awards four times since its relaunch in 2002.
However, al-Baker said that being named the World's Best Airline “is not the pinnacle but a milestone we must maintain”.
Qatar Airways now operates a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft with a network of more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America, and South America.
The airline plans to launch a host of new destinations this year, including London Gatwick and Cardiff, the UK; Lisbon, Portugal; Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Bodrum and Antalya, Turkey; Mykonos, Greece; and, Malaga, Spain.

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