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* Qatari airline in talks to buy 49% of RwandAir
* Interested in lifting LATAM stake for the 'right price'
* Happy to work with U.S. stakeholder Delta Air Lines
(Adds RwandAir confirmation, background)
By Alexander Cornwell
DOHA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Qatar Airways is in talks to buy a
49% stake in Africa's RwandAir and is interested in doubling its
holding in LATAM Airlines Group to 20%, its chief
executive said on Wednesday.
A stake in an African airline would widen its reach in one
of the world's fastest-growing aviation regions and potentially
help it to bypass restrictions imposed on it by some Arab
states.
"We are very tough negotiators ... we will take our time to
negotiate," CEO Akbar al-Baker told reporters in Doha.
State-owned Qatar Airways already owns stakes in British
Airways parent International Airlines Group, China
Southern, Cathay Pacific and LATAM.
It bought some of its holdings in other airlines after the
United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia banned it from their
airspace after a regional political dispute.
Qatar Airways, which flies to more than 160 destinations,
has been forced to fly longer routes to avoid the blocked
airspace of some of its neighbours.
The ban does not apply to non-Qatari airlines flying to
Qatar, meaning that RwandAir could potentially carry passengers
from Africa over the blocked airspace to the state-owned
airline's Doha hub without restrictions.
RwandAir flies to 29 destinations, mostly in Africa, but
also to Dubai, Mumbai and Brussels.
Its CEO, Yvonne Manzi Makolo, confirmed to Reuters that
talks to sell a stake were under way but declined to comment
further.
Qatar Airways agreed in December to take a 60% stake in a
new airport in Rwanda.
Baker, one of aviation's most well-known executives, also
said the airline could be interested in increasing its holding
in LATAM and working with fellow shareholder Delta Air Lines
.
"When the right opportunity comes, and at the right price,
we will look at increasing our investment in LATAM," he told
Reuters, adding that it would be interested in having the same
size stake as Delta. Delta has a 20% holding, double the 10%
owned by Qatar Airways.
Delta surprised the industry when it announced in September
that it was taking a $1.9 billion 20% stake in the South
American airline group.
Qatar Airways has had a contentious relationship with Delta
and other major U.S. carriers, which have accused Gulf airlines
of receiving unfair government subsidies, distorting competition
and costing Americans jobs. The Gulf carriers have rejected such
accusations.
However, Baker said there is no ill-feeling towards Delta
and Qatar Airways is willing to work with the U.S. airline at
its hub in Atlanta.
"We can transfer passengers on each other. We are the only
Middle Eastern carrier going into their hub, so there is huge
opportunity," he said.
Qatar Airways has also expressed interest in taking a stake
in India's IndiGo and Morocco's Royal Air Maroc.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell
Editing by Peter Graff and David Goodman)
