Qatar confirms plans for India-based airline
Qatar Airways has reiterated its plan to establish an India based operation.
Qatar Air CEO Akbar Al Baker told the media it still expects to establish an Indian unit a year after it was first mooted, and it would involve ‘a fleet of at least 100 aircraft’.
In March 2017 the airline first announced the idea which was to set up a domestic airline in India in partnership with Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.
He gave no other details about what aircraft it would likely deploy in India.
Al Baker was speaking at an event in France as the airline took delivery of its latest jet from Airbus.
The airline had on several occasions previously tried to buy a stake in leading budget carrier IndiGo.
The airline still has not made an official application to start an airline in India and may be awaiting further developments this year on the privatisation and sell-off of national carrier Air indi before committing.
“Launching a new airline makes little sense as big Indian airports like Delhi and Mumbai have hardly any slots due to a crippling infra crunch. On the other hand, buying AI means getting its slots not just in Indian airports but also abroad,” an unnamed source said, according to the Times of India.
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