Qatar Airways is eyeing to pick up 49 per cent stake in India’s largest low-cost carrier IndiGo Airlines to expand it footprint in Indian aviation market after the new government increased the FDI limit, said the company’s chief executive Akbar Al Baker, who was speaking at a news conference during ITB Berlin.

Asked whether Qatar Airways would like to buy more of its oneworld partner, Akbar Al Baker said: “Yes, we would like to increase our stake in IAG at a later date. We have just taken a shareholding: we could add value to them and they will add value to us.”

“We will look at other acquisitions of airlines but we look at airlines that don’t take the resources of Qatar, or attention of Qatar management, to fix issues. We will always go after goldsmiths, not scrap dealers.”