Brands
Qatar Airways is the Prestige Partner and Official Airline of the 18th Asian Games Jakarta Palembang 2018
MUMBAI: Qatar Airways is proud to announce that it is the Prestige Partner and Official Airline of the 18th Asian Games Jakarta Palembang 2018, taking place in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, from 18 August until 2 September 2018. The highly-anticipated sporting event will bring athletes from 45 participating nations to Jakarta and Palembang to compete for the coveted prizes.
To mark this occasion, a high-level signing ceremony took place in Jakarta, Indonesia on 9 August 2018, in the presence of the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, His Excellency Mr. Jusuf Kalla; the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Indonesia, His Excellency Mr. Ahmed bin Jassim Al-Hamar and the President of the Indonesian Asian Games 2018 Organising Committee (INASGOC), Mr. Erick Thohir.
Following the tremendous success of the 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM, of which Qatar Airways was the Official Partner and Official Airline, the national carrier of the State of Qatar has now shifted its focus from Russia to Asia, to expand its global portfolio and celebrate its strong ties across the continent.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is delighted to be the Prestige Partner and Official Airline of the 18th Asian Games Jakarta Palembang 2018, and to once more unite fans from around the world through a shared love of sport. This highly-anticipated event strengthens our extensive global sporting portfolio and asserts our continuous dedication to celebrating sports as a means of bringing people together. We are tremendously proud to be flying the Qatar team of more than 200 athletes to Jakarta for the event, and we look forward to welcoming all fans to Jakarta and Palembang.”
Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Indonesia, His Excellency Mr. Ahmed bin Jassim Al-Hamar, said: “I am very proud that Qatar’s multiple award-winning national flag carrier, Qatar Airways is the Prestige Partner and Official Airline of the 18th Asian Games. This is a significant and historic moment for the State of Qatar and the Republic of Indonesia and will further strengthen the already strong bonds that exist between the two nations.
This important partnership will further increase tourism and business links between Qatar and Indonesia as well as extending Qatar’s warm hospitality and welcoming culture to the people of Indonesia and fans from around the world. We look forward to continuing to deepen relations between the Qatari and Indonesian people and wish all teams the best of luck.”
President of the Indonesian Asian Games 2018 Organising Committee (INASGOC), Mr. Erick Thohir, said: “We greatly appreciate Qatar Airways’ support of the Asian Games 2018 and look forward to the success of this new and exciting partnership. This event is not an ordinary sports tournament, but an important occasion that promotes both peace and unity between countries in Asia. We wish all participating nations the best of luck in this memorable world-class event.”
This is the second time that Qatar Airways has sponsored the Asian Games; the national carrier of the State of Qatar was also the Official Airline of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006, where it proudly welcomed thousands of fans from around the world to watch the games unfold in what was the biggest sporting event in the history of Qatar. Qatar Airways wishes Qatar’s national team all the best in the competition.
The Asian Games is a pancontinental multi-sport event held every four years and is the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games. The prestigious competition is organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and will include 61 sporting disciplines in more than 40 facilities throughout the two host cities. Qatar Airways will proudly fly the Qatar team, consisting of more than 200 athletes, to Jakarta for the event.
The award-winning airline currently provides triple-daily services to Jakarta, served by a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class, and triple-daily services to Denpasar, served by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, featuring 24 seats in Business Class and 388 seats in Economy Class.
In May 2017, Qatar Airways announced a ground-breaking sponsorship deal with FIFA, which saw the award-winning airline become the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA until 2022. The partnership, one of the biggest sporting sponsorships in the world, will give Qatar Airways extensive marketing and branding rights at the 2022 World Cup Qatar™, with an expected audience reach of more than two billion people.
The agreement sees Qatar Airways become the Official Airline Partner of the FIFA Club World Cup™, the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, the FIFA Under-20 and Under 17 World Cups™, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™, and the FIFA Interactive World Cup™.
In addition to its existing partnership with the German football club giants FC Bayern München AG, for which it is a Platinum Partner, Qatar Airways also recently revealed multi-year sponsorship agreements with Italian football club AS Roma, for which it will become the Official Jersey Sponsor; and with Argentinian football club Boca Juniors, for which it will become the Official Jersey Sponsor.
Qatar Airways made headline news last month at the Farnborough International Airshow 2018, with a number of high-profile announcements and award wins. The airline picked up four prestigious awards at this year’s 2018 Skytrax World Airline Awards, being named ‘World’s Best Business Class’ for the sixth time and third consecutive year; ‘Best Airline In The Middle East’, ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge’ and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite.
Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft via its home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), to more than 150 destinations worldwide. Earlier this year, Qatar Airways revealed a host of forthcoming global destinations in line with its expedited expansion plans, including Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Langkawi, Malaysia and Da Nang, Vietnam.
Brands
Dunkin’ Donuts to exit India as Jubilant FoodWorks ends 15-year franchise deal
The quick service restaurant giant is ending a 15-year franchise partnership with the American doughnut chain, even as it renews its Domino’s agreement for another 15 years
NOIDA: Dunkin’ is done in India. Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, the country’s leading quick service restaurant operator, has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with the American coffee and doughnut chain, and will wind down its Indian stores in a phased manner before December 31, 2026, bringing a 15-year partnership to a quiet, loss-laden close.
The decision, approved by JFL’s board on March 30, 2026, ends a relationship that began with a Multiple Unit Development Franchise Agreement signed on February 24, 2011. JFL will now evaluate and undertake what it described in a regulatory filing as the “rationalisation and/or cessation of certain operations and/or sale, transfer or disposal of assets and/or assignment or transfer of franchise rights,” all in consultation with Dunkin’s brand owners and strictly within the terms of the original agreement.
The numbers tell the story bluntly. In the financial year 2024-25, Dunkin’ India posted a revenue of Rs 37 crore against a loss of Rs 19 crore — a haemorrhage that was always going to test the patience of a parent company recording revenues of Rs 6,104 crore and a profit of Rs 194 crore in the same period. Doughnuts, it turns out, were never going to move the needle.
The contrast with JFL’s handling of its other marquee franchise could hardly be sharper. Even as it walks away from Dunkin’, the company has just doubled down on Domino’s, signing a fresh Master Franchise Agreement on March 31, 2026, granting it exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino’s Pizza stores in India for 15 years, with an option to renew for a further 10.
JFL, incorporated in 1995 and promoted by the Bharatia family, operates a network of more than 3,500 stores across six markets — India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Its portfolio includes Domino’s and Popeyes on the global side, and two home-grown brands: Hong’s Kitchen and COFFY, a café brand in Turkey.
For Dunkin’, India was always a stretch. The brand never quite cracked the cultural code in a market where filter coffee and chai command fierce loyalty and where the doughnut remains, at best, an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit. Fifteen years, mounting losses and a parent with better things to spend its capital on was always going to be a difficult equation to solve.
The doughnut has had its last day. The pizza, however, is staying.
