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Transport

Yesterday

Kinetic CEO Michael Seward.

Bids delayed for Kinetic’s $4b auction; buy-side work in short supply

Street Talk’s tally on Sunday revealed no suitor has signed a buy-side mandate yet – an unusual if not unheard of move – ahead of non-binding indicative bids.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

This Month

Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka and Qatar’s former boss, Akbar Al Baker have played the long game against Qantas and its former CEO Alan Joyce.

Qatar rebalances the scales in a long game of revenge against Qantas

A decade long drama between the Gulf carrier and the national carrier ultimately led to the blockbuster Virgin Australia deal, shaking up the aviation sector.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
It’s a good interim result and an early victory roll for soon-to-depart chief executive Jane Hrdlicka.

Qatar-Virgin deal finally the right result for consumers

Petrodollars underwriting a more competitive aviation sector is not new for Australia or many other countries. And it’s something that should be welcomed as ultimately giving consumers the best chance to benefit from meaningful competition.

  • The AFR View
Former Qantas chief Alan Joyce has signed some hefty advisers.

Alan Joyce arms himself ahead of Aston launch

After over a year of keeping a distinctly low profile, the former chief has this week signed not one but two hefty PR operatives.

  • Myriam Robin
Air Vanuatu slipped into voluntary liquidation in May after suddenly cancelling dozens of its international flights.

Air Vanuatu emerges from administration with EY-led restructure

The Pacific nation’s courts approved a plan to transfer shares in the flag carrier to AV3 Ltd – a 100 per cent government-owned vehicle – on Wednesday.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Advertisement
The Elon Musk-led company handed over 462,890 vehicles to customers in the past three months, up 6.4 per cent from a year ago.

Tesla’s first quarterly sales gain this year comes up short

The Elon Musk-led company handed over 462,890 vehicles to customers in the past three months. Its shares tumbled, paring some of their recent rally.

  • Kara Carlson and Dana Hull
Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka says the Qatar investment will give the airline a huge boost to compete better with Qantas domestically.

Qatar Airways to buy 25pc of Virgin Australia, funding big expansion

The deal with Bain Capital will allow the Gulf carrier to effectively bypass government approvals for more flights, creating a formidable rival for Qantas.

  • Updated
  • Ayesha de Kretser
Jane Hrdlicka, CEO of Virgin Australia.

This is where the next battle between Virgin and Qantas will be fought

Virgin’s deal with Qatar will make it a stronger competitor to Qantas. But the two airlines are set to duke it out over one key part of the new arrangement.

  • James Thomson
A successful outcome would set the airline up for an IPO in mid-2025.

Qatar Airways deal can help Virgin escape Qantas’ flying wedge

Allowing an international state-owned carrier to buy a stake in Australia’s second-biggest airline will go a long way to creating a better competitive balance in the domestic aviation market.

  • Peter Harbison
Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner business class.

What do we know about Qatar Airways?

The acquisitive operator started only two decades ago, and now flies to more countries than almost any other. But it has had its fair share of controversies.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka has hailed the “missing piece” of the airline’s strategy.

How the Virgin and Qatar deal could wedge Qantas and Labor

Bain’s deal with the Gulf carrier will make it a more formidable rival to Qantas, and put pressure on a government that claims to want stronger competition.

  • James Thomson

September

Gold Coast airport accounts for nearly 75 per cent of Queensland Airport Limited’s traffic volumes.

KKR, Kim Jackson’s Skip Capital win $3b Queensland Airports race

Queensland Airports Limited is KKR’s first airports deal around the world.

  • Updated
  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Getting the AFL Grand Final is expected to cost Swans and Lions fans a pretty penny.

Heading to Melbourne for the footy? It might pay to book a stop-over

Brisbane fans might choose a less-than-ideal path to save a few dollars in the pilgrimage to the MCG this weekend – booking a flight via Sydney or Canberra.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

Qantas pilots to vote on pay freeze offer (worth 30pc more)

Short-haul pilots are the last group of the airline’s employees to vote on enterprise agreements since the pandemic, when wages were frozen across all entities.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
BYD - Build Your Dreams - is the No.2 selling electric vehicle brand in Australia, behind Tesla.

Federal government warned of Chinese EV software security risk

The federal government is being warned that a timid approach to risks from Chinese vehicle software could undermine national security.

  • Simon Evans, Tom Rabe and Jessica Sier
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BINGO Industries CEO Chris Jeffrey.

Macquarie’s Bingo secures $100m lifeline but loses CEO and CFO

The waste management group has been struggling under a heavy debt burden after being downgraded by S&P Global this year. In all, three executives will leave.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

Webjet’s consumer business spirals as domestic demand softens

The newly demerged Webjet consumer-facing business was down during its trading debut as investors fret about the future of travel demand.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Transport Minister Catherine King has been working on a cohesive strategy for the aviation sector for more than a year. So far, little has changed.

Labor sings vastly different tunes on supermarkets and Qantas

Aviation is much more concentrated than supermarkets, yet the government seems to accept that the airline industry should remain anticompetitive.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Lim Kim Hai has snapped up a handful of REX’s property assets and is keen to buy more.

Bankers begin the task of unravelling the Rex empire with asset sales

Almost two months after Regional Express called in administrators, the regional airline’s assets is being broken up and sold off.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Virgin Australia is struggling with the Cairns to Tokyo route.

Qantas eyes downtown Tokyo flights as Virgin waits for new planes

Demand for travel to Japan is strong, but not from Cairns, as the red kangaroo tries to muscle in on its rival’s misfortune.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/companies/transport