Under the arrangement, the RAAF’s air-to-air refuelling aircraft, the KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport, will be able to refuel Indian Armed Forces aircraft.

Qantas and QantasLink services saw a 74.7 per cent on-time arrival and 75.4 per cent on-time departure rate for October 2024, according to the latest BITRE data, compared to 70.9 per cent on-time arrivals and 71 per cent on-time departures for the Virgin Australia network.

Works will begin next year on the T2 domestic terminal, which houses Virgin Australia, Jetstar, and regional airlines, and are expected to take until the end of 2026. They will include new security scanning systems, improved bag drop, and more self-service kiosks.

Speaking at the Australian Airports Association conference in Brisbane, Hrdlicka said Virgin operating its own long-haul international services would be “at least six or seven years away”, but that the wet-lease arrangement would likely see Virgin pilots and cabin crew working on Qatar flights.