Qatar may leave Oneworld over US access dispute

Los Angeles

QATAR Airways said that it may seek to form a breakaway group within the Oneworld alliance should fellow member American Airlines Group Inc continue to lend its weight to a US push to curb the growth of Gulf rivals.

Qatar Air, which joined Oneworld in 2013, will not tolerate a situation where "conditions are no longer conducive to a fair business relationship and mutual respect", chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said in an interview. "We don't get bullied by anybody," he said at a briefing in Los Angeles, where Qatar Air began flights from Doha on Jan 1.