Emirates Airlines chief executive HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum has narrowly eclipsed the Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker to be listed as the most powerful Arab in the airline travel sector, ArabianBusiness.com’s Power 100 list for this year has revealed.
Al Maktoum, who chairs the largest Arab airline, was at number 10 in the Power 100 list, the most comprehensive compilation of the world’s most influential Arabs. He dropped five places from 2007, despite his business achievements which Arabian Business Magazine based their selection on.
“He had a big year with Airbus and Boeing competing for his favor in the run up to the Paris Air Show, where the big aviation deals are done,” the magazine said about the selection.
“Emirates stole the show, spending some $23.4 billion on the purchase of 93 planes, more than any other airline and cementing Sheikh Ahmed’s preeminent position of power in the global aviation industry.”
However, it was the Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker whose rise in Power 100 list was most impressive. Al Baker jumped 84 places to number 14 this year, only four places behind Al Maktoum.
“It is Akbar Al Baker’s increasing influence over the global aviation business that sees him rocket up the charts this year,” said Arabian Business magazine about his rise.
“Qatar Airways has ordered a total of 80 Airbus A350s and three additional A380 superjumbos for a cool US$16bn, making it one of the world’s biggest customers for planes.”
Whilst the CEOs of the two biggest airlines made the Power 100 list, so did two of the low-budget carriers operating in the region.
Adei Ali, founder and CEO of Air Arabia, jumped 46 places to 28 in this year’s list, based on his helming the region’s first and largest budget airline, based in the Sharjah in the UAE.
“Ali’s meteoric rise up the power league runs in parallel with the explosion of low-cost air travel in the region,” Arabian Business magazine said.
Marwan Boodai, chairman and CEO of Jazeera Airways, jumped 39 places to 51 in this year’s list. Jazeera Airways is the Middle East’s first private sector airline, which ended Kuwait’s 50-year dependence on a single national airline.
Published on Sunday in Arabian Business and on ArabianBusiness.com, this year’s list includes influential Arabs from the whole gambit of fields including sport, finance, medicine, entertainment, science and technology and real estate.
For this year’s full Arabian Business Power 100 List, click here.
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