Qatar Airways has shifted its expansion plans from Saudi Arabia to India.

The airline, which has recently withdrawn its application to operate a domestic airline in Saudi Arabia, has said it plans to establish a domestic airline in India in partnership with the sovereign Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).

QIA will own the majority share in the planned Indian airline, a measure that will sidestep current regulatory limits for non-Indian airlines’ ownership in domestic carriers.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker also announced last week that he expects the purchase of a 49 per cent stake in Italy’s Meridiana to be finalised “within days.”

This purchase would add to Qatar Airways’ rapidly expanding investment portfolio in foreign airlines that already includes a 20 per cent stake in IAG, British Airways’ parent company, and a 10 per cent stake in South America’s LatAm Airlines.

These investment plans align with the airlines’ overall strategy. Al-Baker told MEED in January that his airline’s future growth depends on its stamina to invest and expand and take opportunities especially during a challenging period.

Measures also seem to be in place to ensure that the outcome of Qatar Airways’ investments in loss-making LatAm and in privately-owned Meridiana will have a different outcome to similar investments made by fellow Gulf carrier Etihad Airways in Alitalia, which is expected to begin bankruptcy procedures shortly.

For example, Qatar Airways will be allocating 20 Boeing 737 Max planes out of its latest jet orders to Meridiana. This will enable the airline to operate as a full-service carrier serving key destinations in Europe and other regions. Delivery of the new jets to Meridiana is expected to start in the second quarter of 2018.

It appears that continued investment in foreign carriers will remain a core component of Qatar Airways’ future expansion strategy for as long as the company reflects Al-Baker’s view that the world is still too large with regions and cities in many other regions offering it plenty of opportunities.