The Australian competition watchdog today announced it has granted authorisation to Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways to allow them to engage in cooperative conduct under an integrated alliance for five years. The arrangement will double the frequency of flights currently operated by Qatar Airways alone between Doha and major Australian airports.

The Australian Federal Court today ordered Qantas to pay $100 million in penalties for misleading consumers by offering and selling tickets for flights it had already cancelled, and failing to inform existing ticketholders promptly of its decision.

Qatar Airways Group has agreed to acquire a minority equity stake (25%) in Virgin Australia (from owner, Bain Capital) in a move that will give the Gulf carrier additional capacity into the lucrative Australian market. In a joint statement today, the Qatari and Australian airlines confirmed plans to strengthen their existing alliance even further, with new non-stop flights to Doha enhancing competition with rival partner airlines, Qantas and Emirates through Dubai.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has announced that APT and Travelmarvel have agreed to slash their COVID-19 cancellation charges to provide impacted customers with higher refunds.