Qatar Airways Group completed the purchase of 25% of the shares of Airlink, the most important independent airline in South Africa and one of the main players on the continent, connecting 45 destinations in 15 countries.
In May, the CEO of Qatar Airways, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, had hinted that they planned to invest in a southern African airline, and it was generally assumed that the favorite would be South African Airways, which had risen from the ashes after the pandemic. However, Airlink’s network capillarity and its overall better condition undoubtedly made it more attractive to complement the presence that Qatar Airways already has in Africa, whether by flying directly from Doha or with its recent acquisition, Rwandair, in which it holds a 49% stake.
“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 realising,” said Al Meer.
For his part, Rodger Foster, CEO of Airlink, said that “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.”
Airlink has an average fleet age of 17.5 years, consisting of 28 Embraer E190s, 16 ERJ-135s, 11 ERJ-140s, 6 E195s, and 2 E170s. In 2023, it transported 3.7 million passengers, 23% more than the previous year, with a load factor of 71%, according to information obtained by Aviacionline through Cirium. Until 2020, Airlink operated under the SA Airlink brand, as it was a franchised airline of South African Airways until then. When South African Airways fell into disrepute, the executives chose to completely distinguish the two airlines to avoid being dragged down by its crisis.
