Qatar Airways Group has acquired a 25% stake in South Africa’s leading independent regional carrier, Airlink. The announcement reflects the multi-award-winning Qatari airline’s aim to further develop its operations on the African continent, reinforcing its growth strategy in Africa and consolidating its role as a key driver for the region’s economic success.

The investment in Airlink — which currently flies to more than 45 destinations in 15 African countries — will increase the codeshare partnership between the two airlines and include partnerships between both airlines’ Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Airlink Skybucks loyalty programs. 

About the ad, Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said: “Our investment in Airlink demonstrates how essential we see Africa to the future of our business. This partnership not only demonstrates our confidence in Airlink as a resilient, agile, financially sound company governed by sound principles, but also in Africa as a whole, showing enormous potential that I am happy we can help drive.”

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 those we plan to add to our network. This transaction will unlock our growth by providing efficiencies of scale, increasing our capacity and expanding our marketing reach. By strengthening Airlink and its business, this investment will strengthen all of the existing airline partnerships that Airlink has nurtured over the years.”

Qatar Airways currently flies to 29 destinations in Africa, and there has been strong growth in the market thanks to the addition of new destinations 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 recently added to Qatar’s extensive airline network, while Cairo and Alexandria have been retaken.

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