Jake Nelson

In the Australian Airports Association’s submission to the ACCC on the proposal, CEO Simon Westaway said the plan for Virgin to wet lease Qatar Airways aircraft would add extra international capacity for both passengers and cargo.

The carrier has undertaken what it says was the world’s first EDTO (Extended Detour Time Operations) 120 737-800BCF flight from Melbourne to Perth on behalf of Team Global Express, having recently been certified by New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority for EDTO 120 capability.

Speaking to Australian Aviation, Chris Ellis, the Chilean carrier’s country manager for Oceania, said the existing route from Sydney to Santiago via Auckland had been popular with travellers, and that the inaugural non-stop flight had completely sold out with solid bookings projected for the holidays.

Airport passenger numbers grew by a total of 1.5 per cent over the same quarter last year to more than 2.1 million, with 1.6 per cent growth in domestic and 1 per cent in international traffic. The airport has attributed the trend to “capacity growth and new route offerings”.

Fifty-nine per cent of members approved the agreement, the fourth put forward by the planemaker, which increases pay by 38 per cent over four years and awards extra bonuses for ratification and productivity but does not bring back a pension plan frozen almost 10 years ago.

Speaking to Australian Aviation for an upcoming podcast about his recent book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, Aston said Qantas was “effectively the only external party that was opposed to the flights being granted”.