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Qatar Airways remains on the hunt for a stake in IndiGo to add to its portfolio of holdings after failing to buy shares of India’s largest airline at the time of last year’s initial public offering. “I cannot force the owners to sell a stake to me,” CE Akbar Al Baker said Wednesday. “But if they are interested, Qatar Airways will be very interested.” Qatar Airways sought to acquire a holding in IndiGo via the Qatar Investment Authority during the IPO, overcoming a bar on direct involvement from another airline, but didn’t have time to obtain necessary approvals, Al Baker said. Qatar Air has long been keen on a stake in the only Indian airline to make a profit in each of the past 7 years as it seeks more exposure to one of the world’s fastest-growing travel markets. <br/>

American Airlines is considering seeking additional flights between the US and Tokyo Haneda when new arrival and departure slots open up this fall. The carrier offers up to 5 round-trip flights daily between the US and Japan. The arrival and departure at Haneda now occur between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. American will move that flight to daytime hours in the fall, and the airline aims to win new slots for other routes, including to the US East Coast, COO Robert Isom said Wednesday. Haneda currently grants American, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines 1 arrival and 1 departure slot each day during overnight hours. The first 3 flights serve the US West Coast, while the last serves Hawaii. A recent agreement between the US and Japan moves those slots to between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. starting this fall. <br/>