Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways have received interim approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for their integrated alliance. This agreement allows Virgin to operate flights to Doha with 28 weekly services from Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. These flights will connect passengers via Qatar Airways to over 100 international destinations, with services expected to start in June.
The ACCC has recognized that the proposed collaboration is likely to bring public benefits, including enhanced products and services such as increased capacity between major Australian cities and Qatar.
Alistair Hartley, Virgin Australia's Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, commented on the development: "The ACCC’s interim authorisation is a significant milestone that reflects the strong consumer and broader public benefits of the integrated alliance. These benefits include new Virgin Australia flights to Qatar, increased capacity, better connections, and downward pressure on airfares from Australia to the Middle East, Europe, and Africa."