Canberra’s block of Qatar Airways’ flights is a ‘national insult’, Senate committee told

The decision to reject Qatar Airways’ request to increase its number of flights into Australia was being interpreted as a national insult, the Australian Qatar Business Council says.

Debate continues over the government’s denial of more Qatar Airways flights into Australia.

A Senate committee examining the rejection of more Qatar Airways’ flights into Australia has heard the government’s decision was being viewed as a “national insult” in Doha, and that the decision called into question Australians’ appreciation of Islamic culture.

Australian Qatar Business Council chairman and national president Simon Harrison was giving evidence to the committee’s third public hearing in Brisbane on Tuesday.

He told the committee the decision and lack of explanation had caused “a number of sensitivities” with the Qatar business community.

What was particularly concerning he said, was the suggestion by federal Transport Minister Catherine King it was linked to the treatment of Australian women at Hamad International Airport in 2020.

“To associate this decision with the Doha incident will be seen as a national insult to Qatar,” Mr Harrison said.

“It’s caused a number of sensitivities around our appreciation of Qatar and our appreciation of Islamic culture, where women are at the forefront of Islamic culture. This seems to offer some denigration of that.”

His remarks came as a submission to the committee revealed the government was yet to schedule a meeting with Qatar’s aviation regulator to discuss the decision to reject more bilateral air rights with Australia.

Australian Qatar Business Council chairman and national president Simon Harrison at the Senate inquiry. Picture: John Gass

The department of Infrastructure and Transport was considering the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority’s request for consultation and indicated a month ago it would respond “as soon as possible”.

The committee also heard on Tuesday that Turkish Airlines was still waiting for a response from the federal government to its application for more flights into Australia.

Turkish Airlines’ Australian manager, Ahmet Halid Kutluoglu, said it had been 45 days since the airline lodged the application with Ms King and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

He said it was now apparent the airline would not be able to begin flights to Melbourne in December as it had hoped.

“We are still to this day expecting a reply,” Mr Kutluoglu said.

“We need to allocate aircraft for the season but if you don’t have a certain starting date you have to allocate the aircraft elsewhere, you can’t pull it back.”

The Transport Workers Union spoke out in support of the decision to reject additional flights by Qatar Airways into Australia, citing the airline’s poor record as an employer. 

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine pointed to historical examples of Qatar Airways sacking cabin crew if they fell pregnant, and prohibiting female employees from being picked up from airline premises by a man who was not their father, brother or husband.

“Since then the contracts have been changed but the workers are stating that they’re still being discriminated against,” Mr Kaine told the committee.

“The reports that are coming through are discrimination against gay workers and female workers who have to seek permission to get married.

“It’s despicable really, the labour practices that have existed in Qatar. Unions are still prohibited in Qatar.” 

Brisbane Airport Corporation executive general manager of aviation Ryan Both told the committee how important the additional Qatar Airways flights were, as it struggled to recover international capacity.

He said travellers flying out of Brisbane, particularly on European routes, were paying about 75 per cent more for airfares than in 2019.

“For the majority of people who are price sensitive that’s a significant block to tourism,” Mr Both said.

Brisbane Airport Corporation aviation general manager Ryan Both at the Senate inquiry. Picture: John Gass

Qatar Airways was sending two senior executives to front the committee on Wednesday but not its chief executive, Akbar Al Baker.

Former Qantas chief Alan Joyce was also sitting out the last scheduled public hearing, but could be summonsed to appear when he returns from overseas.

Qantas chair Richard Goyder and new CEO Vanessa Hudson would face the committee on Wednesday, along with Virgin Australia chief Jayne Hrdlicka and Bain Capital’s Ray Hass.

Virgin Australia signed a partnership with Qatar Airways last year, and has said that the decision to reject an extra 28 flights a week would have negative consequences for them and travellers, while benefiting Qantas and its Gulf partner, Emirates.

“It is clear why the Qantas Group would seek to block Qatar’s expansion into Australia,” said Virgin Australia’s submission to the committee.

“That’s what competitors do, particularly when Qantas Group’s record profit in the 2023 financial year is underpinned by record-breaking international earnings.”