Dubai/Doha: Qatar Airways said it will evaluate the case for buying a stake in Moroccan national carrier Royal Air Maroc to help extend its reach into the underserved travel markets of West Africa and the Sahara. The No 2 Gulf airline has already secured a code-share deal with RAM and would like to bring it into the Oneworld alliance in the “not too distant future,” CEO Akbar Al Baker said Thursday. “We’ll evaluate if we can be a partner, a stakeholder, in Royal Air Maroc in the future,” Al Baker said at a press conference in Doha. “Qatar Airways is always open to investing in airlines with strong synergy.” Al Baker was speaking as RAM commenced a three-times-weekly service between Casablanca and Doha, adding to Qatar Air’s daily timetable on the route, with all 10 flights operated by Boeing 787s under a code-share agreement that permits joint ticket sales. The Gulf airline already owns a 10 per cent stake in British Airways parent IAG SA and has said it’s open to further deals.