Mauritius may invite bids next week for a 49% stake in Air Mauritius (MK, Mauritius) as the island nation seeks to attract investment, boost tourism, and strengthen the airline’s finances, people familiar with the plan have told Bloomberg.
The government is leading the sale of the minority stake in the state-owned carrier, with Qatar Airways seen by some officials as a favoured bidder, according to the people who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process has not yet been announced.
ch-aviation has reached out to both airlines for comment.
This comes as Air Mauritius chairman Kishore Beegoo warned against selling the struggling national airline to Qatar Airways, arguing that it would undermine the country’s economic sovereignty. In a comprehensive interview published by Mauritius' Defi Media, Beegoo cautioned that politicians' suggestions to offload the airline to sharply expand flights to Mauritius would be "a strategic error with serious consequences". According to reports, Cabinet-level discussions have taken place on bringing in Qatar Airways as a strategic partner to help stabilise and expand Air Mauritius.
Partnering with Qatar Airways would mark a significant shift for Air Mauritius, which has had a strategic partnership with rival Emirates since 2003, renewed in May 2025, covering codesharing, interlining, frequent flyer cooperation, and cargo services. Emirates currently operates 14x weekly A380-800 flights between Dubai International and Mauritius.
