Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka has candidly aired her disappointment over the recent decision by the Albanese government to block Qatar Airways from adding additional international services to Australia.
seeking to operate an extra 21 flights a week into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in a bid launched last year“ are our partner, they’ve served Australia well throughout COVID and they’re trying to continue to support Australians to have a higher quality of life and to connect with the world,” she said in the clip, which was addressed to Virgin Australia’s staff but leaked to the media on Friday.
Ms Hrdlicka pointed out that Qatar Airways, which operates a fleet of over 250 aircraft, is one of the few airlines capable of quickly making more services to Europe available at a time when many Australians are feeling the bite of inflation and rising living costs. The CEO said Virgin is “deeply disappointed” by the decision and agreed that “airfares are just too high in Australia” and suggested the extra capacity would have helped lower prices.
“Five hundred million dollars out of the economy with this decision means less jobs less opportunities and denied growth for ," she said. Mr Joyce defended Qantas' decision to lobby against Qatar Airways. Picture: Getty.
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