Qatar Airways inks new codeshare deal with Air Botswana

Doha carrier says agreement is part of a push into Africa with services to be launched in Namibia and Zambia by year-end.

Qatar Airways has announced a new codeshare partnership with Air Botswana, offering its passengers enhanced access to three key destinations in the African country.

The partnership with the national airline of Botswana, will provide passengers with connections to the cities of Gaborone, Francistown and Maun via Qatar Airways’ South Africa gateway Johannesburg, a statement said.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “Codeshare partnerships and airline alliances continue to play an important role for Qatar Airways. We are committed to serving the travel needs of the African market and the addition of Air Botswana flights to Qatar Airways’ route network is an important expansion of our network.”

The Southern African region is an important market for Qatar Airways, with three destinations in South Africa including Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, and on the east Maputo in Mozambique.

Al Baker said expansion in this region is a key focus for the airline, having launched services to the Namibian capital Windhoek in September, with Lusaka in Zambia to follow, and the resumption of services to the Seychelles in December.