Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) is evaluating opportunities for additional acquisitions as a means to grow further, but will slow down its future expansion to focus on service quality. CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer told the Financial Times in an interview that the company could buy a stake in RwandAir "within the month", thus finalising a long-awaited deal.
The chief executive said that Qatar Airways would end a period of fast growth after one more big aircraft order, adding that quality of service cannot follow the pace of fleet and network expansion. It plans to increase its passenger numbers to around 80 million annually in the next five to six years, up from the 40 million it carried in 2024.
Qatar Airways is seeking broader cooperation with other airlines as a mean to grow its traffic after that period. Al-Meer said that the company intends to feed passengers to the networks of the partner carriers, growing its reach. The company currently holds stakes in IAG International Airlines Group (25.1%), Airlink (South Africa) (25%), LATAM Airlines Group (10%), and Cathay Pacific (9.9%).
The airline also recently obtained approval from the Australian government to buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia.
Meanwhile, the carrier is struggling to grow its network in Russia which has proved to be a strong market for other Gulf airlines since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The Russian news outlet Biznes Online reported that Qatari carrier had not been able to open a new route to Kazan International due to limitations imposed by international lessors and insurance companies. Qatar Airways currently operates 7x weekly between Doha and Moscow Sheremetyevo.
