Qatar Airways has unveiled its plan to launch an airline in India with at least 100 planes. Chief Executive of the company Mr. Akbar Al Baker announced the plan in a press meet in Toulouse, France however, what kind of aircraft to introduce is not disclosed yet.
It was in March 2017 that Baker first mentioned about its plans for a carrier in India. Baker made this statement while taking delivery of Airbus A350-1000 in Toulouse on Tuesday.
“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,” said a source.
The airline had also announced to increase flight frequency to India in the future as the country is an economic superpower and an important destination.
Qatar Airways has been expecting to hold a stake in IndiGo but the budget carrier of India has been declining their expectations. Now with Air India being privatized, industry insiders think there are chances of Qatar Airways tying up with an Indian carrier to bid for the Maharaja but the airline has not commented on this issue so far.
Qatar Airways who took the delivery of A350-1000 recently has also shown interest in Boom Supersonic Jet. Boom Aerospace has been working on a program for a small airliner, around 45 seats, capable of speeds of M2.2.
With the completion of its 20th year of flying to Nepal, the airline also has plans to expand service in Nepal along with promotion of tourism.
