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Speaking in an interview with the German DPA news agency on December 1, Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int'l) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Akbar Al Baker has strengthened his views on a potential partnership with Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt Int'l).

"If there is an opportunity to invest in Lufthansa, we would like to do that," he said adding that codeshare flights or a marketing cooperation could be other areas where Qatar Airways and Lufthansa could work together.

Al Baker has a history of being very open towards his Star Alliance competitor. In an interview with aeroTELEGRAPH last year he commented: "We don’t want to harm Lufthansa." The outspoken CEO added that while he wanted to grow his airline, it was not to be at the expense of other carriers. "If there is competition, there is also room for cooperation," he said when referring to the German airline.

Being in different global alliances could be an important consideration in any deal, but Al Baker seemed confident it would not be a barrier. "I have...