The airline has snapped up a 25% stake in the Southern African company with the legal advice of Bowmans.

The airline has snapped up a 25% stake in the Southern African company with the legal advice of Bowmans.

Qatar Airways has acquired a 25% stake in Airlink, a major player in the Southern African consumer aviation market. The deal, announced on 20 August, was struck at an undisclosed price and comes as Qatar Airways looks to expand its reach across Africa.

Airlink currently has over 65 jetliners and flies to over 45 locations across 15 African countries, and will enhance Qatar Airways’ reach, adding to its existing 29 flight locations across the continent. The deal adds to the Doha-headquartered airline’s list of African destinations including Luanda, Port Harcourt, Accra, Abuja, Harare, Abidjan, Kano, Lusaka, Alexandria and Cairo, which have been added to its roster since December 2020.

Qatar Airways and Airlink also signed a comprehensive codeshare agreement in 2022, allowing for customers to purchase flights on each airline using a single reservation.

Qatar Airways group CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said in a statement: “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.”

Airlink CEO Rodger Foster added: “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.”

Qatar Airways was advised on the deal by Bowmans, with a team led by mergers and acquisitions partner Charles Douglas, competition law co-head Derek Lotter, partners Lital Avivi, Dirk Wessels, Heather Manson and Ntokozo Nzima, along with the support of senior associates Angela Da Costa-Naidoo and Shanae Durman.

In additional news from Southern Africa, South Africa passed its Climate Change Act on 18 July, marking a pivotal step for the region in the battle against climate change.