The CEO of Qatar Airways is famed for his abrasive character, but it’s his business smarts that demand the most respect, as does his ever-increasing influence over the global aviation business.

Already this year Qatar Airways has been granted immediate access to fly routes to Sydney, and an additional five flights a week have been added to its daily Doha to Jeddah and Riyadh to Dammam routes.

The airline is nearing the 70 aircraft mark following the addition of the latest Boeing 777-300 Extended Range, which arrived in Doha in early March. The new commercial passenger jet was the third Boeing 777 delivery in four weeks and brought the total number in the national carrier’s fleet to 68 Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

Over the course of the last two years, a massive expansion programme implemented by the carrier has seen Qatar Airways increase its route network and aircraft numbers by around 25 percent. Passenger numbers have increased on average 35 percent year on year over the past decade.

Qatar Airways has ordered a total of 80 Airbus A350s and three additional A380 superjumbos for a cool $16bn, making it one of the world’s biggest buyers of planes. The expansion has also meant further extensions of Doha International Airport to cope with the increasing volumes of traffic generated by Qatar Airways’ rapid growth. The airline is due to move to its new home, New Doha International Airport, in 2012.

All in all, it’s a far cry from 1996 when Al Baker joined the airline, then a local carrier that few travellers outside the region would have heard about.