Qatar Airways announced this week that it has acquired a 25% stake in Airlink, an independent regional carrier in South Africa. While there is currently no mention of cargo in the press release, Airlink also has a cargo division, Airlink Cargo, which serves 35+ destinations across the country with a cargo network. Airlink Cargo’s website states: “Through its diverse network and strategic partnerships Airlink Cargo has the ability to provide its customers with the freedom to connect cargo to numerous destinations domestically within South Africa, internationally across Southern Africa and internationally to the world from its outstations.” Given that Qatar Airways’ motivation for investing in the carrier was to firmly position itself as “a key driver in realizing economic and business potential on the African continent,” it can be expected that this will eventually also include its cargo business. For now, the partnership between Qatar Airways and Airlink will see codeshares to Airlink’s 45+ destinations in 15 African countries, as well as an alignment of their respective passenger loyalty programs.
Qatar Airways currently serves 29 African destinations and has been expanding its foothold on the continent, most recently adding Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Harare, Kano, Luanda, Lusaka, and Port Harcourt, and resuming its flights to Cairo and Alexandria post-pandemic.
Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “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 that I am delighted we are able to help start realizing.”
Rodger Foster, CEO of Airlink, stated: “Having Qatar Airways as an equity partner is a powerful endorsement of Airlink and echoes our faith in the markets we currently serve and plan to add to our network. 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.”
