Aer Lingus (EI, Dublin International) is planning to commence operations into the Middle East and possibly into Asia in partnership with Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) the Irish carrier's chief executive Stephen Kavanagh has said.
Speaking to Arabian Business on the sidelines of the ongoing IATA AGM in Dublin, Kavanagh said negotiations were currently ongoing between the sides.
“We will be looking at connecting to the Qatar hub either on our metal or on Qatar metal,” he said. “Now that we have not just a shareholder but also a partner with a competitive network, in that regard, I think it's only a matter of time.”
Aer Lingus is wholly-owned by the International Airlines Group (IAG) in which the Qataris currently have a 15.01% shareholding.
Kavanagh believes access to Doha Hamad International and Qatar Airways' vast network will allow Aer Lingus to not only expand into Asia and Oceania, but also to better compete with Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) as well as Emirates (EK, Dubai International) and former shareholder, Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International).
“We felt we were bereft of opportunities in the Middle East because of the cornering of world traffic by Etihad and Emirates," he said. “Now, we have a stakeholder and partner with Qatar Airways and it is clear that there are natural and significant opportunities to grow the network, not just ourselves but also via codeshares.”
