It’s been an eventful week at Qatar Airways HQ in Doha, with the Middle Eastern carrier announcing a new interline deal with Maldivian and acquiring a 25% in Southern Africa regional carrier Airlink. While these are separate transactions, they will both enlarge the networks of all three airlines, bringing greater choice to travelers in the Middle East, the Maldives and Africa.

Seamless flights to the Maldives

Qatar Airways passengers traveling to the Indian Ocean paradise of the Maldives can now book and seamlessly connect with flights throughout the island republic. Qatar Airways (Qatar) has signed a new interline agreement with Maldivian, the leading domestic airline of the Maldives that also operates international flights to India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Maldivian is the national carrier of the Maldives and operates a mixed fleet of Airbus A320, ATR 42/72, De Havilland Dash 8 wheelbase aircraft and DHC Dash 6 Twin Otter seaplanes. Travelers planning holidays in the Maldives can now book their Qatar Airways flight to Male’s Velana International Airport (MLE) and an onward connection with Maldivian on one ticket.

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Travelers in the Maldives can now enjoy another ATR 42-600 that has joined Maldivian’s fleet of 25 aircraft.

The new agreement will boost international connectivity and give passengers seamless access to 17 domestic destinations in the Maldives, including Dharavandhoo, Faresmaathodaa, Funadhoo, Fuvahmulah, Gan, Hanimaadhoo, Ifuru, Maavarulu, Madivaru and eight others.

Photo: MBekir | Shutterstock

According to Flightradar24, Qatar is operating three flights daily from Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) to Male Velana International. It operates Airbus A320-200s and Boeing 777-300ERs on the route for a flight that generally takes around four hours. Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Thierry Antinori said the airline continues to expand its services to provide passengers with innovative and inviting travel experiences.

“With our latest Maldivian interline partnership, we look forward to seeing our passengers enjoy a smooth start to their holidays, as well as benefit from the plethora of new travel benefits. We are proud to offer the option of a seamless process, allowing passengers to book one ticket that includes both their Qatar Airways flight to Male and the connecting flight to their beachside getaway.”

Qatar buys into Airlink

On Tuesday, Qatar announced it had acquired a 25% stake in Southern African regional airline Airlink. Airlink was formed in 1992 and, with a fleet of more than 65 Embraer regional jets, is the premier privately owned carrier in Southern Africa. Those jets operate to more than 45 destinations in 15 African counties, including Madagascar and St Helena Island.

Photo: J de Reuck | Airlink

Qatar said the announcement continues its ambition to further develop operations across the African continent and will cement its role as a key driver to the continent’s economic success. Qatar Airways Group CEO Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said the investment in Airlink further demonstrates how integral the group sees Africa being to its 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 realizing.”

The two airlines already have a codeshare partnership, which will seek to align the Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Airlink Skybucks loyalty programs. Qatar operates to 29 African destinations and has seen strong growth in the market, adding new destinations such as Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Kano, Harare, Luanda, Lusaka and Port Harcourt, and resuming services to Cairo and Alexandria in the last few years.