In May 2020, Qatar Airways faced allegations of racial discrimination against South Asian cabin crew, who were "forced" to work on flights during the Covid-19 pandemic and suffered verbal racial abuse from management. By contrast, European staff did not receive the same treatment and were included in a "PR stunt" despite not working these flights.

Qatar Airways is one of a number of airlines facing widespread lay-offs, as the company tries to mitigate against the economic downturn caused by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, travel bans and quarantines. An Arab News report also accused the company of ageism in its hiring-and-firing policies as began its redundancy process.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre contacted Qatar Airways to ask the airline to respond to the allegations in the below articles; they did not respond.