Qatar Airways Wants to Launch an Airline in India
After announcing an amazing new business-class product at ITB Berlin this week, Qatar Airways has more big plans up its sleeve. The Doha-based carrier plans on launching a short-haul airline in India. Qatar Airways Group CEO His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said that the new airline would be 100% Qatari owned and funded by the the Qatar Investment Authority.
India recently opened up the country to direct foreign investment so it's now possible for foreign entities to own domestic Indian airlines. Al Baker said that the carrier will "soon" be submitting an application to Indian authorities to operate an airline with a fleet of about 100 narrow-body jets within the country.
Other foreign carriers have recently started investing in India through joint ventures — AirAsia set up AirAsia India and Singapore Airlines started Vistara with Indian conglomerate Tata Group. And Etihad owns about a quarter of Jet Airways, India's second largest airline. Despite its woes in recent years, the Indian aviation market still shows tons of potential for airlines as its currently valued at about $16 billion and is reportedly set to become the third-largest aviation market in the world by 2020.
Qatar Airways has tried to set up an airline in Saudi Arabia over the past few years, but hasn't made much progress because of the difficulty it's had in obtaining an operating license in the Kingdom. Al Baker also added that because of problems with the delivery of an earlier order of 50 narrow-body aircraft from Airbus, they have requested to convert that into one comprised solely of A321neos.
H/T: Quartz
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app