Qatar Airways is finalising a 25pc investment in South African regional airline Airlink, following speculations that were circulating in the media.
The strategic move by Qatar Airways is part of its broader strategy to expand its presence in Africa, with the aim of strengthening its network across the continent.
Airlink, which operates an all-Embraer fleet and is transitioning to the E190 type, sees the partnership with Qatar Airways as opening up opportunities for growth and fleet planning enhancements.
The investment allows Airlink to explore new routes, such as those in Central and East Africa, including the Johannesburg O.R. Tambo-Kigali route dominated by RwandAir, in which Qatar Airways is also finalising a 49pc investment.
Qatar Airways currently flies to 29 destinations in Africa, and have added nine new destinations since December 2020.
Qatar Airways Group CEO 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 whole, showing huge potential that I am delighted we are able to help start realising.”
Airlink CEO and Managing Director Rodger Foster commented: “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.”
