Airlines
Qatar Takes Near 10-percent Stake in Cathay Pacific
Second equity purchase for Persian Gulf airline since American Airlines rebuff

Qatar Airways has agreed to take a 9.61-percent stake in Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific for $661 million in a surprise move that comes just five weeks after Qatar closed on a 49-percent acquisition of Italy’s Meridiana. The new acquisition sends another signal of the Qatari carrier’s aggressive pursuit of equity stakes in other airlines following a rebuke by fellow OneWorld member American Airlines. Cathay Pacific, another OneWorld member, now becomes the fourth airline in which Qatar owns a major equity stake. Qatar also owns a 20-percent share in British Airways parent International Airlines Group, a 10-percent stake in Latam Airlines Group and 49 percent of Italy’s Meridiana.