Qatar Airways boss Akbar Al Baker made huge noise post his sexist remark about the representation of women in Middle East aviation. He was quoted as saying, "Of course, it has to be led by a man, because it is a very challenging position." Post the uproar, he has apologised for his comment, and according to the statement issued, the CEO said, "I would like to offer heartfelt apologies for any offence caused by my comment yesterday."

According to a Reuters report, Baker said that his comment at the closing of global airlines gathering on Tuesday had been intended as a joke and taken out of context. He even went on to say that the 44 percent of its staff were female including some in senior positions.

Al Baker's earlier comments were made at a news conference after a meeting of airlines group International Air Transport Association, moments after he was elected as its chairman. Post the damage was done, he made comments for the women to lessen the effect of his sexist comment. Baker said that Qatar Airways was the first carrier in the region to have female pilots. However, this is not the first time that Baker is in the midst of controversy, infact he is one of the most controversial figures. In 2017 he apologised after calling U.S. flight attendants "grandmothers" during a trade row.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 06, 2018 09:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).