Qatar Airways: building a global brand Abdulla Hamad M.A. Fetais and Osama Sam Al-Kwifi Management and Marketing, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar Zafar U. Ahmed Institute of Business Research, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, and Dang Khoa Tran University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Abstract Purpose – In 2017, Qatar Airways was recognized as the world’s number-one airline by SKYTRAX World Airline Awards. These international awards have been described as “the Oscars of the aviation industry,” reflecting global recognition and excellence in conducting business activities at the international level. The main purpose of this case-based research is to explore and evaluate the internationalization strategies employed by Qatar Airways in becoming known as one of the best airlines in the world. Design/methodology/approach – In accordance with the nature of this study, data were collected by interviewing managers from Qatar Airways as well as by exploiting supporting materials from secondary sources and airline-specific records. The recorded interviews were analyzed via content analysis to define airline strategies aimed at expanding globally and building a global brand. Findings – The findings reveal that Qatar Airways has adopted effective strategies that have facilitated its aggressive global expansion and enhanced its global consumer recognition – mainly as a fast-growing network connecting important destinations that maintains a focused consumer orientation dedicated to providing an optimal travel experience. These strategies have been focused on building a superior consumer experience marked by exceptional comfort. Practical implications – Qatar Airways’ implementation of internationalization strategies in the airline industry represents an innovative approach marked by efficient operations and high-quality standards. Both international business managers and academics can learn from these strategies and their implications for enhancing airlines’ global reputation and overall quality performance. Originality/value – Unlike other research studies that investigate a wide range of firms across industries, this study focuses on exploring the factors that support the successful internationalization of a single firm, thus providing in-depth understanding of specific strategies to achieve global recognition. This study provides unique insights to analyze strategies and assess their practical relevance. Keywords Internationalization, Strategic alliance, Global branding, Airline industry, Qatar Airways Paper type Research paper Introduction This case-based research aims to investigate the main strategies that allowed Qatar Airways to successfully expand its international operations and achieve global recognition. Qatar Airways is one of the youngest global airlines to serve all six continents. Its global network is rapidly expanding, making it the fastest-growing airline in the world (Kingsley-Jones, 2009). Its operational strategies are heavily focused on enhancing consumers’ travel experience and making their journey extraordinary. As a result, it was voted as the world’s number-one airline in 2017 for the fourth time, having previously been awarded the title in 2011, 2012 and 2015. These awards were received from SKYTRAX World Airline Awards, the most prestigious quality awards in the global airline industry (SKYTRAX, 2017) and have the reputation of being “the Oscars of the aviation industry.” Each year, SKYTRAX conducts the world’s largest airline travelers’ satisfaction survey to select the award winners. The survey is completed by passengers around the world, and it measures benchmarks across 41 key performance indicators to rank front-line airline products and services. Qatar Airways The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1026-4116.htm Received 12 April 2020 Revised 28 June 2020 16 August 2020 Accepted 28 August 2020 Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences © Emerald Publishing Limited 1026-4116 DOI 10.1108/JEAS-04-2020-0044