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Virgin (now truly) Australia

written by australianaviation.com.au | October 30, 2012

Singapore Airlines is back as a major investor in the Australian airline market. (Seth Jaworski)

Within the space of an hour long news conference Virgin Australia’s John Borghetti signalled a major shake-up of the Australian domestic and regional markets that will have profound implications for the local airline environment.

By acquiring control of Tiger Airways, Virgin Australia has gained an immediate entry into the low cost market against Qantas’s Jetstar, but without the associated start-up costs and pains. Although the Tiger brand was bruised badly by its CASA-enforced grounding, the airline’s “remarkable resilience” (as Borghetti described it) has seen it recover its position in the market, if not financially, yet.

The $62.5 million earmarked for injection into Tiger is essentially to cover the projected operating losses the airline will sustain during the acquisition phase. The funds will also facilitate the tripling of the A320 fleet, from its current 11 aircraft to up to 35 within five years.

Although it will still be smaller than Jetstar (with a current fleet of 53 A320-family aircraft), the new Tiger Airways will be a potent competitor domestically. And potentially in time Tiger could be developed by Virgin and counterpart shareholder Singapore Airlines in the same way Qantas has developed Jetstar to operate limited international services to, say, New Zealand and nearer Pacific neighbours and Bali, now that it is to be majority Australian owned.

With Virgin Australia’s gradual but emphatic move away from its low cost origins, to better address the budget market its only other option was to create a low cost airline of its own, something that Virgin Blue under Brett Godfrey in fact had once considered as the mainline product developed into a hybrid carrier. Virgin Australia now stands to re-enter this market with a deft sleight of hand that will further its ambitions to claim a higher percentage of the mainline domestic and now low cost sectors.

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Skywest, meanwhile, adds true heft for Virgin Australia in the regional market segment. Thanks to its existing alliance with Skywest Virgin’s entry into the regional market with its ATR 72s has proven to be a boon on routes that it could not sustain with Embraers and Boeings. But now Virgin Australia gains complete access to the booming WA FIFO and intrastate regional aviation markets, suggesting there is the potential to deploy more of Virgin’s Embraers in WA to ultimately replace Skywest’s ageing Fokker 100s.

In a wisely calculated move, both Tiger and Skywest give Virgin Australia true competitive venom against the 65 per cent of the market the Qantas Group has across its regional, low-cost and mainline networks.

Interestingly, though, the parallels between Virgin Australia and Qantas grow as one considers the history behind these announcements from Virgin, and in a peculiar and slightly uncomfortable irony, these parallels are equally applicable to the relationship between Ansett, Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines.

Virgin Australia’s share registry now includes Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand, as was the case with Ansett, plus now, of course, Etihad. Virgin Australia is now becoming a true competitor to Qantas in the same way Ansett was in the days of duopoly. And now both airlines have interests in mainline domestic, regional, low cost and international businesses.

It’s almost a case of what goes around comes around

But in this newly competitive environment, the interdependence between Qantas and Virgin and their respective strategic partners becomes more significant.

It is fair to say the true benefit of Emirates’ forthcoming relationship with Qantas is the access it gains to the Australian domestic market.  While Virgin Australia’s strategic partners have had access to the Australian market via codeshare arrangements for a considerable period, the airline’s shareholders and partners will now gain added benefit from the expanded regional network which stands to deliver high yields in the resource-rich Western Australia market.

Although Borghetti was rightly at pains to explain that the Skywest and Tiger Airways deals were subject to various regulatory approvals, his conviction in the proposed equity arrangements was resounding.

The deals stand to create jobs, boost tourism potential in markets that are heavily reliant on inbound visitation and bring the likelihood of fare reductions. Borghetti claimed in regional, domestic and international markets where Virgin Australia has entered as competition to Qantas, fares have reduced by up to 30 per cent.

These are all convincing arguments for the ACCC, which will be opining on the consumer benefits during the next few months. While it could be argued that in the case of Tiger there would be diminished competition by virtue of Virgin Australia’s ownership of the low-cost carrier, its retention as a separate brand under separate governance arrangements should be sufficient to assuage the regulator’s concerns.

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Comments (13)

  • Ron

    says:

    “Like”

  • Brett

    says:

    If Qantas doesn’t buy share in tiger than no one should

  • Ben

    says:

    Borghetti is a very smart man.

    It is true. Qantas has been essentially using bully tactics against Virgin for years.

    What goes around comes around

  • Matt Barr

    says:

    All I can say is “THANK YOU” Mr Borghetti !
    This will not only improve “Tiger” as an Airline Domestically, It will gain more confidence for the fellow traveller !

  • Jason

    says:

    I fly on both of these airlines, both are good to fly on.

    But ironic that Virgin have registered complaints about the Qantas-Emirates partnership despite the fact that Emirates made no foreign investment in Qantas, yet soon after turned around and sold a further 10% to a foreign state-owned carrier. They are now 34.99% foreign owned, with 14.99% of that owned essentially by foreign governments (through Singapore Airlines and Air NZ).

  • Liam

    says:

    Actually Jason, it’s 24.99% that is owned by foreign states and 10% owned by non-state carriers. It’s also very ironic that this article is titled “Virgin (now truly) Australia” while it’s selling 10% more to an overseas country.

    Also, it’s not a level playing field while Qantas are prohibited by law from being able to have the same level of foreign investment that Virgin have. Free market my rear end.

    Good airline though, I travel with occasionally and have no complaints against their service. But the author Julian Green may have some bias here.

  • Jason

    says:

    The administrator of this article removed my comment that was critical of Virgin Australia. Bias much??????????

  • enjay

    says:

    To look at John Borghetti’s previous record at Qantas and his now evident inspired leadership at Virgin, many QF shareholders must be shaking their heads as to why he was ever passed over for the top job.
    Virgin Australia today is the true success story of Australian aviation. This latest move can only help them become an even bigger thorn in the side of Qantas. With the benefits of being integrated into the VA group, Tiger will finally have a chance to kick some serious goals against a lazy domestic competitor (Jetstar.) It’s now over to you; Mr Joyce, this might just be a career defining time.

  • jarse

    says:

    Don’t worry, Liam. Qantas still calls Australia home (51%).

    Jason, both airlines complain against each other when announcements such as this are made.

    That’s just the way it is. As long as the travelling public benefit, don’t stress 🙂

  • louievandeoorst

    says:

    get things right

    Virgin australia is 26% own by Richard Branson, 20% is own by Air New Zealand, 10% by Etihad and 10% by SIA.
    That wery close to 70% by my calculation (i havent aded ownership of Brett Godfrey,I realy belive he own personal stake in too.So Virgin australia is not much australian anymore.

  • Peter

    says:

    Well Enjay what can I say…., John Borghetti, what a great win for Virgin…, maybe he stepped on Dixon`s toes ??, but regardless everyone knows that Alan Joyce is was and still is Jeff Dixon`s little puppet and many still believe he is still pulling Joyce`s strings, could`nt run a chook raffle……, he may have that bit of paper to say he has a university degree in management but the only thing he is managing is to run that once great airline into the ground, I feel for the poor staff…!!.

  • louievandeoorst

    says:

    Anyway, that deal is really remarkable piece of buisiness art from Goh Choon Phong, CEO ov SIA.
    What amazing move whit a triple yuumy dip.
    Sold off majoriti (60%) of loss making part of business (Tiger Australia never make money anyway),SIA did both 10% of Virgin Australia (which at present time does making money) and perhaps the most important, they still use Tiger Australia to feed pasangers to Scoot..
    And of course, Tiger Australia supose to grow up to 35 aircraft in next 5 years…mostly on expenses of Virgin Auistralia.And Borghetti can get personal satisfaction too, any pasenger on SIA ..that one less on Qantas.

  • richard

    says:

    Virgin Australia (formerly Virgin Blue) was originally bankrolled by Richard Branson, it was never Australian.

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