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Virgin Australia partners with Qatar Airways for long-haul flights starting June

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Virgin Australia partners with Qatar Airways for long-haul flights starting June
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Virgin Australia | Official Website

Virgin Australia is set to begin long-haul flights using Qatar Airways aircraft starting June 12. This move will see Virgin Australia utilizing the Australian half of traffic rights to and from Qatar, currently unused, as a means of expanding into the competitive long-haul market on behalf of Qatar Airways.

Virgin Australia, which previously retired most of its widebody aircraft five years ago, will lease Boeing 777-300ERs and crew from Qatar Airways. These flights will operate from Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney to Doha. The aim is to bolster competition against Emirates and Singapore Airlines in routes to and from Europe.

The new arrangement marks Virgin Australia's return to the Middle East after it previously flew to Abu Dhabi between 2011 and 2017 in partnership with Etihad Airways. That relationship ended on June 1, 2025. Now partnered with Qatar Airways, which owns a 25% stake in Virgin Australia, the airline will launch its first Doha flight on June 12.

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The new schedule includes daily flights from Sydney starting June 12, Brisbane on June 19, Perth on June 26, and Melbourne on December 1. This collaboration will increase the number of daily nonstop departures between Australia and Doha to ten by December.

Qatar Airways currently operates six daily departures until June 11. With Virgin's entry into the market, this frequency will rise incrementally throughout the year: seven with Sydney's inaugural route, eight with Brisbane's launch on January 18, nine with Perth's addition on June 26, and finally ten when Melbourne joins in December.

This expansion contrasts with other airlines' offerings: Singapore Airlines has up to 21 daily departures while Emirates offers eleven daily flights. Cathay Pacific also provides up to twelve daily flights back to Hong Kong.

In December, peak travel season due to Christmas and New Year demand will see joint operations summarized as follows: Adelaide served by a daily A350-900; Brisbane by two daily Boeing 777-300ERs; Canberra via Melbourne; Melbourne with triple daily services including Virgin's entry; Perth by two daily Boeing 777-300ERs; Sydney by a combination of Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A380s.

This expansion aligns with changes such as Qatar Airways' Canberra service returning in December via Melbourne instead of Adelaide—allowing for increased frequency at major Australian cities under bilateral agreements.

Organizations Included in this History
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