Oman Air is looking to grow flights into India, but the carrier’s plans don’t include buying any stakes in airling Air India.

CEO Paul Gregorowitsch said the Gulf’s history with buying stakes in legacy airlines hasn’t born fruit.

“As a businessman, you are far more eager to participate with a profit-making airline and not having the legacy of the state airline,” the Press Trust of India quoted Gregorowitsch telling reporters at a roundtable. “If you look at what the neighbouring Gulf airlines have done with state airlines in Europe, you see that those investments have been a complete failure.”

“Today we have no interest to make a bid for Air India or part of Air India. If it would come to it, we would team up with a promising proposition from a successful Indian airline than setting up our own or getting involved with an ailing Indian airline,” he added.

Gregoroswitch does, however, have an eye on adding to capacity within the country, a plan which involves growing its widebody fleet.

India’s National Civil Aviation Policy formulated in 2016 looks to enter the country in reciprocal air service agreements with SAARC countries as well as those located within 5,000 kilometres from New Delhi.