Qatar Airways close to Southern African airline investment
Qatar Airways is close to completing an equity investment in an undisclosed southern African carrier as it seeks to deepen its network across Africa.
“We are at the final stage of an equity investment in an airline in the southern part of Africa,” Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer said May 15 during a panel discussion at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, adding that a deal could be announced in two to three weeks. He said the Oneworld alliance member continues to grow organically in north and west Africa, but has identified central and southern Africa as areas needing development.
In southern Africa, Qatar Airways has codeshare partnerships with Air Botswana and South African carrier Airlink. The latter agreement was signed in June 2022, which the airlines said would offer greater connectivity between 45 destinations in 13 countries across southern Africa and beyond. Asked about the potential for a Qatar Airways investment, Airlink CEO and managing director Rodger Foster said: “Airlink cannot speak for Qatar Airways. It is one of over 30 valuable global airline partners with which Airlink has commercial partnerships of various shapes, form and depth.
“As an industry leader with an unrivaled regional network, Airlink is continually searching for new opportunities to grow, and it is in this context that we frequently engage in discussion with our various commercial partners.”
Qatar Airways has already partnered with Rwanda’s flag-carrier RwandAir—with a protracted acquisition of a 49% stake in the airline nearing completion after more than four years—and in 2019 took a 60% stake in Bugesera International Airport, a new airport being built just south of Kigali. However, Meer described the planned investment in the unnamed southern African airline as the “last piece of the equation,” saying it will “complement the operation of Kigali as a hub and the operations of RwandAir.”
According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, Qatar Airways currently serves 28 destinations across Africa, including cities such as Abuja, Cairo, Lagos and Nairobi. Around 13,900 weekly departure seats are currently available from points in eastern Africa, along with 13,400 in north Africa, 9,300 in southern Africa and 7,100 in central and western Africa.
Qatar Airways agreed to purchase a 49% stake in RwandAir in February 2020 to increase its network breadth and provide feed for flights to Doha, which led to a codeshare partnership signed in October 2021. RwandAir subsequently launched a route between Kigali and Doha.
In May 2023, the two carriers announced intentions to collaborate on operating a cargo hub at Kigali International Airport, coinciding with RwandAir's launch of cargo operations utilizing a Boeing 737-800 converted freighter.
Speaking during the Qatar Economic Forum panel discussion, RwandAir CEO Yvonne Makolo said Kigali could become an “alternative regional hub” in Africa, possibly rivaling Addis Ababa one day. “There’s the potential to compete with the other regional hubs, but we’re starting small, and we’ll continue to grow,” she said.
Makolo also stressed the need for more partnerships between airlines in Africa. “Africa is a market of 1.4 billion people, but we carry only 2% of global traffic,” she said. “The way to go is through partnerships—both between African airlines and between African airlines and other international carriers. It’s a huge continent that we need to connect, and no one airline can do that on its own.”
