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

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.