Qantas Asia plan hits the rocks

Qantas Asia plan hits the rocks
By admin


Qantas’ plans for a new premium airline in Asia have bitten the dust as talks with prospective partner Malaysia Airlines broke down.

Chief executive Alan Joyce revealed that discussions between the two airlines had foundered with the parties “unable to reach mutually agreeable terms.”
The new premium airline is now off the agenda as Joyce confirmed the group would explore joint ventures and alliances in Asia instead. But he stressed that Qantas would “allocate minimal capital to such ventures,” attributing the U-turn to global economic uncertainty and the airline’s recent financial clampdown.
“The transformation of Qantas’ international business remains vital, with plans to return the international business to profitability in the short term on track,” he said.
“In the medium term, the Qantas flying businesses, both domestic and international combined will exceed the cost of capital on a sustainable basis.”
The withdrawal has been welcomed by the unions, with the proposed Asian airline a major aggravator of industrial action at the end of last year. The pilots union called it a “fantastic opportunity” for the airline to rebuild its brand.  
The premium airline had been expected to operate initially with 11 A320s with flights into Australia and intra-Asia, helping the airline to win back its declining market share into Asia.
Its premature end will leave Qantas back at square one, trying to devise a way to tackle its losses as Asian airlines continue to eat into its business.

Latest News

  • Aviation

Nauru Airlines offers new direct flights from Brisbane to Palau on ‘Paradise Express’

Nauru Airlines is offering new direct six-hour flights from Brisbane to Palau on the ‘Palau Paradise Express’ to the 300-island archipelago, with launch fares from $999 return. Nauru Airlines will commence direct flights between Brisbane and Palau from 21 May 2024, opening the new non-stop air route to this archipelago nation of more than 300 […]

  • Cruise
  • News

Search underway for missing cruiser of Sydney Heads

Carnival Cruise Lines have confirmed a search is underway for a passenger who went overboard P&O Cruises Pacific Adventure about 20 kilometres off Sydney Heads this morning. Pacific Adventure was due to dock at Sydney Harbour at 6am this morning but is now searching the waters after a man went overboard around 4:15am. One passenger told 2GB […]

  • Partner Content

Wendy Wu Tours ‘Wonderlust Sale’ offers the wonders of the world for less

Wendy Wu Tours opens the month of May with some very special deals across its most sought-after destinations. From Japan, China and South Korea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia and across India and Latin America, the ‘Wonderlust Sale’ sees all destinations on sale.  The ‘Wonderlust Sale’ is an offer too good to resist with incredible […]

Partner Content

by Travel Weekly

Travel Weekly
  • Technology

Booking.com launches AI Trip Planner in Australia and New Zealand

Booking.com has announced its AI Trip Planner (Beta) is now available for travellers in Australia and New Zealand, the first markets to launch in Asia Pacific. Until now, AI Trip Planner was only available for US and UK travellers after it was launched in the Booking.com app in June last year. Built using Booking.com’s existing […]

  • Products

Embrace the journey: Traversing the world with the Shokz OpenRun

If you’ve been on the wrong side of a final call in the airport, or missed the stop on rail journey, it might be time to invest in a pair of Shokz OpenRun headphones. Originally marketed as headphones for fitness fanatics, runners or cyclists with a keen to steer clear of a prang with a car, […]

  • Tour Operators
  • Tourism

TTC: Deals are driving up demand for September trips

The latest market research from TTC Tour Brands shows interest in international leisure travel remains high for 2024, with 77 per cent of Australians over 18 still planning trips this year. Notably, 28 per cent of those travellers are eyeing September for their journeys. Europe continues to be the most popular destination, with 68 per […]

  • Aviation

Qantas ‘working urgently’ to fix app data leak

Qantas is looking into customer reports that passengers have this morning been able to access other passengers’ personal information on the airlines app. X user Lachlan posted that he was able log into different accounts every time he opened the app. My @Qantas app logs me in to a different person each time I open […]