Qatar Airways Acquires 25% Stake in Airlink, Expanding African Presence

Qatar Airways Group has acquired a 25% stake in Airlink (4Z), a leading regional carrier in Southern Africa.

This investment aligns with Qatar Airways’ commitment to expanding its operations across the African continent, as stated by the Middle East carrier.

Enhanced Connectivity

The partnership between Qatar Airways and Airlink will strengthen their existing code-sharing agreement, allowing passengers to connect between the two airlines’ extensive networks. Airlink operates to over 45 destinations in 15 African countries.

Loyalty Program Integration

Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Airlink Skybucks will be integrated to provide benefits and rewards for frequent travellers of both airlines. This will enhance the overall travel experience for passengers.

CEOs Remarks

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating:

“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 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 echoed this sentiment, saying, “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.”

Synergies and Growth for Airlink

The airlines noted that the investment will unlock growth for Airlink by providing efficiencies of scale, increasing capacity, and expanding its marketing reach. This will strengthen all of the existing airline partnerships Airlink has nurtured over the years.

Qatar Airways’ Growing African Footprint

Qatar Airways currently serves 29 destinations in Africa, and there has been significant growth in the market with new destinations added to the Qatar Airways network since December 2020.

Some of the newly added African cities include Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Harare, Kano, Luanda, Lusaka, and Port Harcourt, while Cairo and Alexandria were reinstated.