Qatar Airways Group and Virgin Australia have received final approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for the airlines’ integrated alliance, green-lighting 28 new weekly flights between Australia and Doha.

The new long-haul flights will be operated by Virgin Australia under a wet-lease with Qatar Airways, with the first set to begin in June 2025 from Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth to Hamad International Airport in Doha (DOH). Flights from Melbourne to DOH will follow in December.

The additional routes will connect over 100 itineraries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and enable Virgin Australia passengers to benefit from increased loyalty earn and redemption opportunities for Qatar Airway’s Privilege Club and Velocity members.

The new flights are expected to boost the Australian visitor and tourism economy by an estimated AUD$3 billion in economic value over the next five years.

The collaboration will expand Virgin Australia’s re-entry into long-haul international travel with access to Qatar Airways global airline network, driving competition in the market and providing more choice and value for Australian passengers.

It’s also expected to support job growth within the Australian aviation and tourism sector, as well as in the airline itself, with Qatar Airways committing to providing secondment opportunities for 20 Virgin Australia pilots and 40 cabin crew members in 2025.

Following the Australian Government’s approval of Qatar Airways Group’s 25% investment in Virgin Australia on February 27, 2025, the companies have asserted sustainability to be an important area of focus for the partnership.

In October 2024, Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a range of sustainability initiatives.

This includes aims to advance the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and environmental management, including waste and energy management, sustainable procurement, and aviation workforce development.

Virgin Australia chief executive, Dave Emerson, said of the new approval: “This is a defining moment for Virgin Australia and the Australian aviation landscape. The ACCC’s final approval of our deeper strategic partnership with Qatar Airways marks the start of a new chapter for our airline and a world of opportunities for our people and customers.

“Already, we are seeing some of the positive benefits of the partnership, including increased sale activity on airfares between Australia and Europe, the Middle East and Africa thanks to increased competition.”

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, added:

“It also marks the start of a new chapter in the relationship between our two airlines, and I would like to thank our Virgin Australia colleagues and valued stakeholders for their tireless dedication to our shared ambition to create healthy competition within the local aviation market, as well as our collective commitment to supporting Australian businesses, Australian jobs and the wider economy.”