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Reuters
DUBAI
Qatar Airways (QA) will finalise a long-negotiated agreement to buy 49 percent of Italy's Meridiana in the coming days, and soon apply with Qatar's sovereign wealth fund to start an Indian airline.
QA will sign the agreement with Italy's second biggest airline in the next"few days", its Group Chief Executive Akbar al Baker told reporters on Monday. The airline has been negotiating to buy a stake in Meridiana for more than a year.
Meridiana would operate as a full-service carrier to destinations in Europe and beyond, Baker said, with the airline taking delivery of 20 Boeing 737 MAXs from the second quarter of 2018.
Meridiana, which offers flights to and from the island of Sardinia and other destinations in Italy.
QA will also apply with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) for a domestic Indian airline operating licence in the next few weeks, Baker said. The Indian carrier would be majority owned by QIA, with QA controlling a minority interest, he said.
QA also announced 12 new destinations to start in 2018, including direct flights to San Francisco in the US.
