The acquisitive Qatari carrier, set to become one of Virgin Australia’s biggest shareholders, has been in business for just two decades – it now flies to more countries than any other operation in the world apart from Turkish Airlines.

Qatar Airways started in 2004 after the country, wedged between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, decided to pull out of Gulf Air. From a small start – a single route from Doha to Amman, Jordan – it has quickly expanded.