Shadow finance minister Jane Hume has slammed the federal government’s rejection of Qatar Airways’ request for additional flights into Australia, arguing the decision would further aggravate the nation’s cost of living crisis.
In July, the Middle Eastern airline was denied a capacity expansion bid of flying an extra 21 flights a week into Australia, with one each a day into Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney.
The senior Liberal Party figure told Sky News Australia the Senate’s Select Committee on Cost of Living was calling for an explanation from the Labor government on its “anti-competitive behaviour”. “That doesn’t sound like productivity enhancing - anti-competitive behaviour - so I do think the government does have a lot to answer for on this issue.
Qantas - who have a similar arrangement with Emirates and a larger market share of international flight traffic – opposed Qatar’s expansion appeal, most likely to maintain their own monopolistic position in aviation activity to and from Australia.Virgin Australia’s Head of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Christian Bennett said the move would “unintendedly” hamper Virgin’s market value while benefitting that of Qantas.
Demand for international air travel from Australia remains extremely high whereas supply levels fall behind, with Qantas controlling most flight routes and aircrafts going overseas from Down Under. At the time, a group of five Australian women lodged legal action over an intimate search at Doha after authorities forced them to disembark off aircrafts at gunpoint, in what was said to be an attempt to find the mother of a newborn baby found dumped in a plastic bag at the airport.
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