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.
Qatar Airways′ plan to invest in 25 per cent of Virgin Australia’s equity, along with a deeper commercial alliance, heralds another stage in Virgin’s chameleon evolution.
When the original Virgin Blue exploded into the Australian domestic market in 2000 with a couple of Boeing 737s it created a shock totally disproportionate to its size. It was a classic low-cost model airline.
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Peter Harbison is a aviation analyst. He founded CAPA – Centre for Aviation and is author of “Alan Joyce and Qantas. The trials and transformation of an Australian icon.“
