FILE PHOTO: Qatar Airway's Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker speaks at the opening session of a CAPA aviation summit, in Doha, Qatar February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Ibraheem al Omari

DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Airways will continue to operate flights as long as necessary to get stranded travelers home, Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker told Reuters on Sunday, but warned that the carrier could soon run out of cash.

“We have enough cash to take us through a very short period of time,” he said in a phone interview.

He said the airline would eventually have to seek support from its owner, the Qatar government.

The Middle East carrier is one of few global airlines to continue operate after the coronavirus decimated travel demand almost overnight.