City
Epaper

Interested in buying stake in IndiGo, not AI: Qatar Airways

By IANS | Updated: November 7, 2019 16:15 IST

Qatar Airways currently has no plans to participate in Air India's upcoming divestment process, however, the Doha-based airline evinced interest in buying a stake in budget passenger carrier IndiGo.

Open in App

According to Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, the Doha-based airline is interested in investing in IndiGo, but will wait till the time the issues between the budget carrier's promoters are resolved.

He was speaking at an event here to mark the one-way codeshare agreement between Qatar Airways and IndiGo.

When asked, whether Qatar Airways will be interested in participating in Air India's upcoming divestment process, Al Baker replied: "We are not interested in Air India. We are only interested in IndiGo."

Al Baker's remarks comes as IndiGo and Qatar Airways entered into a one-way codeshare agreement.

In aviation parlance, a codeshare agreement allows two airlines to sell seats on each others' flights in order to provide passengers with a wider choice of destinations.

Accordingly, the one-way codeshare deal between the two carriers will enable Qatar Airways to place its code on IndiGo flights between Doha and Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Currently, Qatar Airways operates 102 weekly flights between Doha and 13 destinations in India, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram.

Additionally, the airline's cargo division Qatar Airways Cargo operates a total of 28 weekly freighters to seven destinations in India. The top three cargo destinations in India are Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad.

On IndiGo's part, this is the second codeshare agreement it has for international markets. The Indian budget carrier already has a codeshare agreement with Turkish Airways.

"This strategic alliance will not only strengthen our international operations, but also boost economic growth in India, by bringing in more traffic and heralding opportunities for trade and tourism through seamless mobility," IndiGo's Chief Executive Officer Ronojoy Dutta said.

At present, IndiGo has a fleet of over 200 aircraft and offers close to 1,500 daily flights and connects 60 domestic and 23 international destinations.

Qatar Airways currently operates a fleet of more than 250 aircraft to more than 160 destinations worldwide.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Qatar AirwaysAl BakermumbaiBaker
Open in App

Related Stories

MumbaiMumbai Traffic Update: Police Issue Advisory for Shiv Sena UBT Dussehra Rally On October 2; Check Diversions

MumbaiMumbai: FIR Filed Over Maharashtra Congress’ Social Media Post Allegedly Inciting Violence

MumbaiMumbai: MNS Workers Protest at Andheri Metro Station, Damage Billboard, Demand Only Marathi Ads

MumbaiMumbai: Bomb Threat at Dadar Railway Station; Police Launch Investigation

MaharashtraMaharashtra Rains: Holiday Declared in All Schools in Palghar on September 29 Due to Heavy Rains

कारोबार Realted Stories

Business91 online govt services restored after data centre fire in S. Korea

BusinessCentre receives Rs 12.83 lakh crore in receipts up to August this fiscal

BusinessDedicated team within ICAR to conduct sugarcane research: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

BusinessCentre extends Unified Pension Scheme switch deadline till Nov 30

BusinessLPG connections in India have jumped to over 33 crore in last 11 years: Hardeep Puri