Qatar Airways has acquired a 25% stake in South African regional carrier Airlink.
Qatar Airways invests in Airlink
Qatar Airways has announced the acquisition of 25% stake in Airlink, a South African regional carrier. The Qatari national airline says the investment is a continuation of its “ambition to further develop its operations across the African continent”.
Our investment in Airlink further demonstrates how integral we see Africa being to our business’ future. This partnership not only demonstrates our confidence in Airlink, as a company that is resilient, agile, financially robust and governed on sound principles, but also in Africa as a whole, showing huge potential that I am delighted we are able to help start realising.
Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Group Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways said.
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The investment in Airlink – which flies to more than 45 destinations in 15 African countries – will enhance a code-sharing partnership between the two airlines.
Having Qatar Airways as an equity partner is a powerful endorsement of Airlink and echoes our faith in the markets we currently serve and plan to add to our network. This transaction will unlock growth by providing efficiencies of scale, increasing our capacity and expanding our marketing reach. By bolstering Airlink and its business, this investment will strengthen all of the existing airline partnerships Airlink has nurtured over the years.
Rodger Foster, Chief Executive Officer, Airlink said.
Qatar Airways says that this partnership with Airlink “seeks to align both carriers’ loyalty programs – Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Airlink Skybucks”.
Qatar Airways currently flies to 29 destinations in Africa. The carrier says that “there’s been strong growth in the market with new destinations added to the Qatar Airways network on the continent since December 2020”. Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Harare, Kano, Luanda, Lusaka, and Port Harcourt are the African cities newly added to the extensive Qatar Airways network.
Featured image by Qatar Airways
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