The CEO of Qatar Airways has indicated the airline’s intention to pursue additional partnerships following the acquisition of a stake in South Africa’s Airlink.

On Tuesday, Qatar Airways acquired a 25% stake in Airlink, which operates flights to over 45 destinations in 15 African countries, as part of its strategic expansion plan for the continent.

“We currently possess a substantial portfolio of investments. We remain open to the possibility of investing in other airlines, provided that there is potential for collaboration and mutual cooperation,” stated Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways, in an interview with the Financial Times.

Qatar Airways has established a substantial investment portfolio, which includes a 25 percent ownership in International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways.

Additionally, the airline possesses 10 percent stakes in both Latam Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways of Hong Kong, along with a 3.4 percent interest in China Southern Airlines.

Al-Meer indicated that Qatar Airways is actively engaged in finalizing a long-anticipated investment to acquire a 49 percent stake in RwandAir, the state-owned airline of Rwanda.

This investment aims to enhance access to passengers from various regional cities in Africa and ultimately increase traffic through its hub in Doha.

Al-Meer emphasized the significance of Africa, noting that it accounts for 18 percent of the global population and remains largely underserved.

He remarked that partnerships with Airlink and RwandAir would complete the final phase of Qatar Airways' expansion strategy in Africa.

The demand for air travel in Africa is projected to rise significantly as economies progress, yet the continent's aviation sector has not yet reached its full potential.

In 2018, a 37-country initiative was launched to liberalize airspace regulations across the continent; however, the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market has faced challenges, partly due to nations safeguarding their national airlines from competition.

Airlink, operating a fleet of over 65 aircraft, serves more than 3 million passengers annually across 15 sub-Saharan African nations.

Qatar Airways has not disclosed the financial specifics of this deal, which was initially reported by the Financial Times last month.

Rodger Foster, the chief executive of Airlink, stated, "Having Qatar Airways as an equity partner is a powerful endorsement of Airlink, its business, and reflects our confidence and optimism in the markets we currently serve and those we plan to expand into."