DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Qatar Airways says it has purchased a 10-per cent stake in Chile’s LATAM Airlines Group for $608 million.

The Doha-based state ******* announced the stock purchase late Wednesday.

LATAM was created when Chile’s LAN took over Brazil’s TAM in 2012. The ******* flies to some 140 destinations in 25 countries.

LATAM stock closed at $8.42 a share Wednesday, up 1.6 per cent.

Qatar Airways operates a fleet of 192 aircraft out of its hub in the vast new Hamad International Airport in Doha, which is preparing to host soccer’s ***** Cup in 2022.

It is one of the ***********’s biggest carriers, along with Dubai-based Emirates ******* and the Abu-Dhabi based Etihad Airways. The three airlines increasingly have challenged Western airlines in long-haul flights.