Implications of the Australian government’s decision to block additional frequencies for Qatar Airways

On 10 July 2023, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, rejected Qatar Airways’s (QR) request for permission to operate 28 additional weekly flights to Australia. The decision has been widely criticised for stifling competition and taking a protectionist approach, ostensibly protecting the interests of Qantas Airways (QF). QF have confirmed reports that they wrote to the Minister to note their objections and this has added to the increasing criticism that QF have faced in the media and on social media in recent years.

The decision to reject QR’s request has received far more attention that a similar denial for Turkish Airline’s request for additional frequencies to facilitate their entry to the Australian market with daily flights to Sydney (SYD) and Melbourne (MEL). One might speculate as to why the QR decision has received so much more attention, but that is not the focus of this analysis.

While the decision to reject QR‘s application is not likely in the public interest, the arguments that QF put forward have been widely ignored in the public discourse. The purpose of this analysis it to evaluate the impact of the decision in the context of QR’s Australian operations and review the impact that approving QR‘s request may have had on the market. Furthermore, it will evaluate the arguments put forward by various stakeholders, both for and against.