Qatar Airways is in talks to acquire a 20% stake in Virgin Australia in its latest attempt to carry out Australia expansion plans that were blocked by the Australian government last year.
According to reports from The Australian Financial Review, Qatar Airways’ interest in the carrier will be announced in the next few days, but any transaction between the two airlines will require the approval of the Foreign Investment Review Board as well as the Australian government.
In September 2023, Qatar Airways was denied an expansion request by the government without being given reasons why.
It is suspected that the government denied the request in response to the ‘Women of Doha’ case in which five Australian women and 10 others were forced to undergo gynaecological examinations following the discovery of a newborn baby that had been abandoned in the airport.
Australian Minister of Transport, Catherine King, said the incident gave her context to make the decision to deny extra rights to the airline.
