Why Qatar Airways has bought 9.6% of Cathay Pacific
THIS morning’s news that Qatar Airways, a national carrier with global ambitions, has bought nearly 10% of Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flag-carrier, came as a shock for financial markets. Shares in Cathay Pacific dropped in value by around 5% in the minutes after trading resumed first thing today. But the idea that Qatar Airways was the market for another acquisition came as no surprise for analysts in the aviation industry. Since 2015 Qatar has acquired 20% of IAG, a European group of airlines that flies 100m passengers a year, 10% of LATAM, Latin America’s biggest carrier, and 49% of Meridiana, an Italian carrier. It has even been invited by the Indian government to start up a new airline there with 100 jets. So why has Akbar al-Baker, Qatar Airways’ outspoken chief executive, gone on a shopping spree worth billions of dollars?
