Qatar Airways boss offers ‘heartfelt apologies’ for saying only a man could do his job

A day after saying only a man could handle his challenging job, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker has offered up an unequivocal apology.

Al Baker triggered some outrage on Tuesday when he told reporters that his high-flying airline job would be too much for a woman to handle. He was speaking at the annual meeting in Sydney of the International Air Transport Association of which he had just been made chairman.

But the blow-back apparently got a bit too much, as his apology came rolling out in a statement tweeted out by Qatar Airways later Tuesday:

“I would like to offer my heartfelt apologies for any offence caused by my comment yesterday, which runs counter to my track record of expanding the role of women in leadership throughout the Qatar Airways Group and has been sensationalized by the media.”

The CEO went on to point out that Qatar Airway’s workforce is 44% female, and “the dedication, drive and skill they bring to their jobs tells me that no role is too tough for them, at all levels of the organization.”

Al Baker added that the airline has been a “pioneer” in the region, as the first airline to employ female pilots and train and hire female engineers.

Making additional comments at another conference in Sydney on Wednesday, he told The Wall Street Journal and other publications that he wasn’t serious with that initial remark. “It was just a joke, everybody laughed, and I thought that was the end of the story.”