Qatar Airways keen to increase Cathay Pacific stake from 9.9%

Qatar Airways is interested in raising its stake in Cathay Pacific Airways, provided the move doesn’t “disrupt” the holdings of the top two major investors, Swire Group and Air China, the carrier’s CE Akbar Al Baker said. The airline, which announced buying almost 10% of Cathay in November in a bid to gain a foothold in East Asia, wants to bolster its strategic relations with Cathay, Al Baker said Thursday. Qatar Air currently owns 9.9% of Cathay, he said. “What happens in the future, of course, I cannot say because the aviation industry is very fluid at times,” Al Baker said. “At the moment, we have no intention to go over the stated goal that we already have in mind. We will not go beyond 10% mark in Cathay for the time being.” <br/>