According to a report dated 09/19/2011 in Germany's Der Spiegel newspaper, a delegation from Qatar government met with German Economy Minister Philipp Roesler,  in a first round of negotiations to acquire a 7.5 % stake.

The information comes after Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche mentioned last week that there had been progress in the search for an EADS solution. Daimler is Germany's main largest shareholder in EADS, with 15% holds directly and 7.5% parked in banks.

According to Flightglobal and ATI, sources close to negotiations stated that "Qatar's interest in EADS shows that it [EADS] is a highly attractive company. Due to EADS' technological-political significance, however, an investment by a state-owned fund will be scrutinised with particularly critical attention [by the government]".

About EADS:

The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. (EADS) is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide. The group includes Airbus as the leading manufacturer of commercial aircraft, with Airbus Military covering tanker, transport and mission aircraft; Eurocopter as the world's largest helicopter supplier; Astrium, the European leader in space programmes from Ariane to Galileo; and Cassidian as a provider of comprehensive and integral systems solutions for aerial, land, naval and civilian security applications. Through Cassidian, EADS is a major partner in the Eurofighter consortium as well as a key stakeholder in the missile systems provider MBDA. In 2009, the EADS generated revenues of €42.82 billion and employed 119,500 personnel. EADS was formed on 10 July 2000 by the merger of Aérospatiale-Matra of France, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) of Germany, and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) of Spain. Overall, the company develops and markets civil and military aircraft, as well as communications systems, missiles, space rockets, satellites, and related systems.

Qatar Airways current fleet:
(Qatar Airways  is fully owned by the State of Qatar)