The head of Qatar Airways has apologised after saying that a woman could not do his job.
The airline’s chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said he had been joking when he made the comment at a news conference after being announced as chairman of the International Air Transport Association.
Asked why his job as chief executive could not be done by a woman, Al Baker said, "Of course it has to be led by a man because it is a very challenging position".
He later sought to play down the seriousness of the remarks, saying: “Quite frankly I think the press took it out of context. They all blew it out of proportion.
“It was just a joke. I didn’t mean it in the way it was meant to be… I apologise for it.”
The issue of gender imbalance in aviation was a hot topic at the annual meeting of IATA, only six of whose 280 member airlines have female chief executives.
Al Baker later said Qatar Airways was the first carrier in the region to have female pilots.
The chief executive is one of the airline industry's most outspoken and controversial figures, known for criticism of rival airlines. But he has also drawn criticism for being insensitive or disrespectful.
In 2017 he apologised after calling US flight attendants "grandmothers" during a trade row with US airlines, prompting an airline union to accuse him of sexism and age discrimination.
In 2014, Qatar Airways defended policies on pregnancy and marriage for cabin crew after coming under fire over working conditions in the conservative Gulf emirate.
Asked at Wednesday's CAPA conference whether he truly believed that only a man could do his job, Al Baker said, "No, I don’t believe that. As a matter of fact (at) Air Italy the majority shareholder has shortlisted women to be CEO and as minority shareholder we are actively encouraging that."
