Qatar Air chief accelerates India push, plans new routes to UK

Qatar Airways may order 100 new jetliners before the end of this year to power its push into India and also plans to announce two new routes to the UK even as the country prepares to exit the EU, CEO Akbar Al Baker said. The Persian Gulf carrier is confident that a new aviation policy mapped out by “futuristic” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will permit 100% foreign ownership of a domestic airline, Al Baker said Monday in London. Qatar Airways is briefing lawyers in India and will seek formally to establish the new airline soon, with a tender for aircraft to follow. “It could be this year,” the CEO said. “It depends how fast we can arrange our application.” Al Baker revealed last month that he planned to set up an Indian carrier with a fleet of 100 narrow-body jets, breaking into a fast-growing market where local rules previously prevented full ownership by foreign airlines. He said at the time that the Qatar Investment Authority could fund the venture, leaving Qatar Air to run it, though it’s not clear whether such an arrangement would avoid the curb. Qatar Air is targeting an Indian foothold after Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi took a 24% stake in Jet Airways India. Qatar Air’s expansion plans elsewhere include the addition of two new routes to Britain, the CEO said. The carrier already offers 72 weekly services to the UK, where it serves London’s Heathrow hub as well as Manchester and Birmingham in England and Edinburgh in Scotland.<br/>