Qatar Airways acquires 49% stake in Italy’s Meridiana airline

Qatar Airways announced yesterday that it had acquired a 49 per cent stake of AQA Holding, the new parent company of Italian airline Meridiana.

CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al-Baker, said in a statement that he looks forward to working with Meridiana to further strengthen its position in the market and strengthen its network in Italy, Europe, the United States and other regions.

Qatar Airways operates 42 weekly flights to four destinations in Italy including Rome, Venice, Pisa and Milan.

According to the statement, with the signing of the new agreement, Qatar Airways will strengthen its services in the Italian market.

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Meridiana, the second largest airline in Italy, has an extensive network of destinations in Europe and offers connectivity with major airports in Europe, the United States and Africa.

The Meridiana fleet consists of Boeing 737s, 767s and MD-82s.

Qatar Airways is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world with a modern fleet of 200 aircrafts flying to more than 150 destinations worldwide.