Qatar Airways and Malaysia Airlines have announced plans to deepen a codeshare partnership and expand it into other areas including cargo and flight operations.  

The two carriers announced on February 23, 2022 that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.  

“We believe the strategic partnership will put both full-service carriers on a stronger footing to compete in the highly competitive market as we continue to navigate recovery of the pandemic,” Malaysia Airlines CEO Izham Ismail said in a statement.  

The two carriers started a codeshare cooperation in 2004, which has grown to include 62 destinations in Malaysia, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Africa. 

The MoU will provide each airline’s passengers with more access to new destinations in each other’s network, but also cover “air cargo, operations or commercial services.”  

“This partnership will serve to link both our networks and allow us to work together across different aspects of the business therefore creating exciting opportunities for our joint passengers, as well as for our airlines,” Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar al-Baker commented. 

He continued: “As we move towards a post-pandemic world, successful business is driven by strong partnerships, and this close cooperation with Malaysia Airlines is a firm example of how symbiotic international partnerships can pave way to industry recovery.”