February
Hrdlicka says Virgin ‘ready’ for float after FIRB approves Qatar deal
But the Bain Capital-owned airline’s chief executive would not provide a timeline for her departure, putting a major roadblock in front of a run at the ASX.
Virgin boss Jayne Hrdlicka tells her team she still plans to go
The Bain Capital-owned airline has also failed to appoint two high-profile former bankers to its board despite announcing they would join almost two years ago.
Virgin Australia capitulates under union pressure
Virgin Australia’s next chief executive has ruled himself out of the race before his anointment, telling Bain Capital he no longer wants the top job.
January
Who’s really in and who’s out at the AO women’s final
Australia’s movers and shakers once more opened their social year in style, enjoying one of the true spectacles of global sport at the Australian Open.
Bain sweats on FIRB approval before naming new Virgin CEO
The airline’s private equity owners are hoping to avoid a political stoush before an election, with the favoured candidate opposed by powerful unions.
Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka lands on $17m Noosa holiday home
The business heavyweight, who also chairs Tennis Australia, has paid $16.9 million for a slice of Queensland’s famed Little Cove.
December 2024
Qantas’ misdeeds shouldn’t scuttle Virgin-Qatar deal
The TWU stoush with Bain Capital over the next Virgin boss highlights corporate Australia’s wider reputational issues that have fuelled the populist backlash against business.
November 2024
Virgin’s plan to fly Qatar planes poised for ACCC green light
The Bain-backed airline hopes to fly the Gulf carrier’s Boeing 777s to Doha in a return to long-haul international services from the middle of next year.
October 2024
Bain Capital’s Virgin Australia payday soars beyond $1b
Accounts filed by the airline show the private equity giant secured a bumper dividend from the carrier for a second year in a row as earnings continued to grow.
Virgin earnings provide fresh clues on what the airline is worth
The airline’s results suggest Jayne Hrdlicka has taken advantage of Qantas’ distraction.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
June 2024
Virgin IPO may not fly for next boss
There are plenty of big questions for the airline’s next chief executive – including what the carrier will look like, and how it will be owned, in the long run.
Hrdlicka says Virgin Australia is IPO-ready when ‘market reopens’
Speaking in Dubai, Jayne Hrdlicka defended the carrier from market critics who say it is losing share to its larger rival Qantas and budget airline Jetstar.
Virgin is IPO-ready: CEO | ‘Fraud’ signs in 90pc of NDIS managers | Bill Ackman’s big bet on himself
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
March 2024
How a nervy market grounded Bain’s Virgin before IPO take-off
Jayne Hrdlicka always faced an uphill battle. Investors were encouraged to push her hard on the airline’s strategy. The doubts could not be overcome.
Virgin Australia records higher revenues, warns of headwinds ahead
The airline’s chief executive, Jayne Hrdlicka, did not provide additional detail about why was leaving the company later this year.