Qatar's Al Baker awarded Legion d'Honneur

Qatar Airways CEO may have been a thorn in the side of the aircraft manufacturers, but France has recognized the value of Akbar Al Baker's contribution, vigour and leadership that has driven changes at Airbus – Europe's largest OEM with one of its highest honours.
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At a ceremony in the "Salon des Ambassadeurs" at the Elysée Palace, the President of the Republic of France, Francois Hollande, presented to Al Baker, the Legion d’Honneur – the French medal of honour created by Napoleon Bonaparte
The prestigious award was bestowed upon Al Baker for his leadership in the aviation industry and for spearheading Qatar Airways to become a leading global airline.
He had previously been made a Chevalier, Legion d’Honneur in 2002 but this week was given an ‘Officier de la Legion d’Honneur.’
The citation said that the Qatar CEO had spearheaded a legacy of collaboration between Airbus and Qatar Airways – a first for the industry – where there has been a highly intricate level of coordination between design and implementation by the manufacturer and operator.
Qatar Airways is the only airline in the world to fly each Airbus aircraft type in its fleet.
 

 

Pictured Right: Akbar Al Baker receives his medal from the French President, Francois Hollande

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