- Acquisition Talks are still continuing between Qatar Airways and Rwanda’s national carrier RwandAir.
- According to reports, internal re-organisation is going on at the national airline to accommodate Qatar Airways to reflect the new partnership in operations by end of this year.
Acquisition Talks are still continuing between Qatar Airways and Rwanda’s national carrier RwandAir. According to reports, internal re-organisation is going on at the national airline to accommodate Qatar Airways to reflect the new partnership in operations by end of this year.
According to sources, RwandAir is currently planning to implement the recommendations made by Qatar, such as having in place qualified and licensed staff and letting go of those who are not. To improve the skills and competencies of RwandAir staff a number of RwandAir staff will be sent to Doha, Qatar Airways’ hub, for further specialised training.
RwandAir and Qatar announced in February 2020 that Qatar was buying a 49 percent stake in RwandAir. Such a partnership is expected to recast the aviation industry in the region and the continent considering Qatar’s financial muscle and global reach.
Following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, and the subsequent closure of airspaces and borders, talk on the deal lost the momentum as both airlines were struggling to deal with the effects of the pandemic on their operations. The group chief executive of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker said in an interview that they will wait and see what is the outcome of their industry in the next year or so, and then will consider the next step in strategic investments in airlines.
Stake acquisition in RwandAir Tied is tied to the deal reached last year for Qatar to acquire a 60 percent stake in Rwanda’s Bugesera International Airport still under construction. The company holds 40 percent stake of the$1.5 billion worth airport project, with the completion date target of 2022.
