Qatar Airways has announced its latest move in its global expansion, purchasing a 25% equity stake in South Africa's Airlink. This agreement is said to be fruitful for both parties in terms of their future aspirations.

Qatar's African Expansion

In a press release on Tuesday morning, the Doha-based airline claims the deal with Airlink was made in order to expand Qatar's reach across Africa and increase revenue made in the continent. Airlink will remain its own majority owner and will continue to operate under its own name. 

Airlink at the moment is classified as a regional airline, flying to 45 destinations in 15 countries, including to its home base in Johannesburg, South Africa. Airlink officials hope this new equity stake gives the airline more name recognition and an increase in customers. As of now, Qatar flies to 29 destinations in Africa. 

For though curious about both airlines' loyalty programs, it's expected that both will merge at some point in the future. Currently, Qatar Airways has the Privilege Club, while Airlink markets flights with Airlink Skybucks.

Airlink CEO Rodger Foster had this to say about Tuesday's news:

“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 [deal] will unlock growth by providing efficiencies of scale, increasing our capacity, and expanding our marketing reach.”