Qatar Airways Interested In Buying Stake In IndiGo

Qatar Airways has expressed its desire to buy equity in IndiGo, provided the Indian carrier offers it a 49% stake. “If IndiGo offers us 49%, Qatar Airways would be extremely interested,” Qatar Airways Group chief executive officer (CEO) Akbar Al Baker said.

“We would be able to deliver what they (India) want faster than all the new entrants in the Indian market. Qatar Airways will always have a very keen interest in growing in India and investing in the aviation industry in India,” he added.

Calling Indigo the “only efficient carrier” in India, he cautioned that the country cannot depend solely on a single airline.

Talking about newly launched airlines like Vistara and AirAsia, he said that an airline cannot grow overnight. They would need 5-10 years to deliver the results.

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign should also focus on the aviation sector. Calling Modi a forward-looking person, he said, “I have very high expectations and confidence in the individual (Modi) because it is for the first time in my memory that India has a leader who has the best interest of India in his mind and not personal agendas.”