Tuesday, August 20, 2024 Qatar Airways Group has purchased a 25% stake in Airlink, Southern Africa’s leading independent regional airline. This move aligns with the award-winning airline’s ongoing efforts to expand its presence across the African continent. By investing in Airlink, which operates flights to over 45 destinations in 15 African countries, Qatar Airways aims to strengthen the code-sharing partnership between the two airlines.
This strategic investment will support Qatar Airways’ growth ambitions in Africa and reinforce its position as a vital contributor to the continent’s economic development. On the announcement, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer , said: “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.” Airlink Chief Executive, Rodger Foster , said: “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.” The collaboration between Qatar Airways and Airlink aims to integrate their respective loyalty programs, Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Airlink Skybucks. Qatar Airways now serves 29 destinations across Africa, reflecting significant growth in the region, with several new locations joining the airline’s network since December 2020.
The African cities of Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Harare, Kano, Luanda, Lusaka, and Port Harcourt have recently been added to Qatar Airways’ extensive network, while services to Cairo and Alexandria have been resumed..
