Virgin Australia Launching Longhaul Flights. Well, Kind Of...
Intro
Rumour has long been circulating about Qatar Airways buying a stake with a carrier in Australia. With Emirates, Qatar Airways's big competitor, and Qantas codesharing flights, it's only right that Qatar Airways decides to compete with Emirates down under. As fate would have it, Virgin Australia has signified that it now has more than a partnership with Virgin Australia, which proves interesting.
The Details
Qatar Airways has decided to buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia, in a deal that could shake up the aviation market down under. Qatar Airways has had a partnership with Virgin Australia since 2022, but now this partnership will truly provide something interesting, as Qatar has found a way to circumnavigate bilateral agreements. The current bilateral agreements are as follows:
Australia ex UAE allows for 168 flights weekly flights to the 4 main airports down under
Qatar ex UAE allows for 168 flights weekly flights to the 4 main airports down under
Virgin Launching Long-Haul Flights?
So, how has Qatar Airways gone around these regulations? Well, Virgin Australia will be operating code-share flights from Doha to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney come 2025. The planes will be by Qatar Airways and wet-leased to Virgin Australia, allowing the company to launch a lot more flights.
Virgin Australia had backtracked on its long-haul plans since the pandemic and ended up dumping some 777s over to Qatar Airways, which still operates to certain destinations. Wouldn't it be quite funny if Qatar Airways ended up wet-leasing these planes back to Virgin Australia? I guess, in some ways, it is almost better for Virgin Australia 😂.
Final Thoughts
Qatar Airways has certainly made a strategic move with its plans for Down Under. Compared to the route-wise offers offered by Emirates, Qatar had to find a way to compete with the allowed frequencies in Australia. QR ended up buying a 25% stake in Virgin Australia and will wet-lease planes, as well as code-share flights to Doha, in order to increase demand on connecting traffic ex Australia.
Comments