Ralph Hollister, associate analyst, GlobalData, commented, “This sub-strategy reinforces Qatar Airways’ commitment to Malta and boosts tourism to the Mediterranean country. Additionally, it enables Air Malta’s passengers to travel on Qatar Airways’s flights to Doha and onwards to more than 170 destinations.

He added, “Althrough details of the partnership seem mainly beneficial for Air Malta passengers, Qatar Airways customers also get access to Air Malta’s extensive Mediterranean network. For example, Catania and Palermo in Sicily (Italy) were part of the agreement.”

This codeshare agreement seems to be a natural progression after Qatar Airways launched a direct scheduled service from Doha in 2019. Ties between the airlines may be set to grow even stronger as recent co-operation in pilot training and a mutual admiration for each other’s service quality shows signs of a strengthening relationship.

Creating codeshare partnerships is a viable method for Qatar Airways to increase market share in target markets without having to part with large chunks of financial resource. These agreements may also help to increase profitability; it is no secret that Qatar Airways has been struggling in recent times.