FILE - A Qatar Airways plane prepares to take off at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. Qatar Airways, one of the Mideast's largest carriers, says profits over the past fiscal year topped $1.5 billion. It marks the highest ever earnings for the state-owned carrier as it prepares to see a record surge in travellers for the upcoming FIFA World Cup soccer games, which will be held in Qatar later this year. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)