In its submission to the ACCC, the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) said that the proposal – which would see Qatar take a 25 per cent stake in Virgin, as well as wet-lease its planes to the smaller carrier for flights to Doha – would create job opportunities for Australian pilots.
After almost two decades spent pursuing legal action, former long-haul flight attendant Sara Rossi had her latest proceedings tossed out by a Federal Court appeal bench on Wednesday afternoon.
As reported by The Australian Financial Review, in figures from the middle of 2024, for the morning peak – 6am to 11am on weekdays – Qantas held 103 take-off slots, with Virgin holding 57 and Rex only seven.
Despite concerns the bondholders presently have a “barely arguable” case against Velocity, the Federal Court granted leave to join the frequent flyer program to the Virgin class action.
In its latest Domestic Airline Competition report, the consumer and competition watchdog found average airfares went up 13.3 per cent across all major city routes from Rex’s collapse at the end of July to September, with Qantas Group and Virgin now flying 98 per cent of domestic passengers.
$80 million in financing will be provided to keep the business and its regional services afloat as EY Australia continues to search for a buyer, with the administrator applying to the Federal Court to extend the voluntary administration to 30 June 2025.