Virgin and Qatar secure watchdog victory for dozens of new flights

Daftar Isi

will soon enter into a five-year partnership with Australia's consumer watchdog, with the green light expected to be given for the move.

, which would see Virgin operate 28 new weekly return flights between major Aussie cities and Doha.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said today it has given preliminary approval for a "combined partnership" between the two airlines.

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Under the proposed deal, Virgin Australia would operate the new routes using Qatar planes under a "wet lease" arrangement for five years.

Qatar has put in a bid to increase its weekly flights between Doha and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth to double the current schedule in 2023, but the government knocked back the proposal.

The watchdog said this partnership is likely to be a "benefit to the public" and won't cause any hardship for travellers.

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"We reckon the proposed cooperative conduct would probably lead to a few public benefits, including giving air travellers better products and services, with more international flights, greater connectivity, convenience, and loyalty program perks," ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.

The partnership is still pending final approval from the ACCC, and the watchdog will seek public input before making a final decision.

The ACCC gave permission for Virgin and Qatar to sell tickets for these services in November 2024.

Flights are booked through Virgin, but travellers will be airlifted on Qatar Airways Boeing 777 aircraft.

Customers who've already booked tickets for the new routes will get a refund or be moved to a different flight without being charged extra, if the ACCC doesn't give the green light.

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"We reckon Virgin Australia's unlikely to start flying long-haul international services between Australia and the Middle East on their own in the next five years," Brakey said.

In those situations, we don't think there's likely to be a significant negative impact on the Australian aviation workforce due to the actions in question.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is expected to make its final decision on the alliance by March 7, after draft submissions have closed, and the new flights are due to commence in June.

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