Australia agrees to clear-the-air talks with Qatar over controversial airline decision
Australian bureaucrats will schedule a meeting with Qatari officials to discuss the Albanese government’s controversial decision to reject Qatar Airways’ request to almost double its flight operations to Australia. Senate inquiry hearings this week revealed that the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) – which lodged the request for an additional 28 weekly flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth – had requested consultations with the Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport. The QCAA said that on 16 August it “officially requested consultations … to better understand the reasons for their decision and to work together with the Department [of Infrastructure and Transport] to build a road map for future enhancements of traffic rights”. “We sincerely hope that the department will agree to schedule consultations as a matter of urgency and priority,” the QCAA said in a submission. The Qatari regulator had claimed that “no other carrier in the [Gulf Cooperation Council] region is subject to such strict conditions and requirements regarding fair competition in Australia”. On Wednesday, at a hearing of the Senate select committee on bilateral air service agreements – set up to examine the rejection of the Qatari request – executives from Qatar Airways said the QCAA was still waiting for the department to schedule such consultations. A Department of Infrastructure and Transport spokesperson told Guardian Australia it had received the QCAA’s request, and that “consultations are provided for under our current air services arrangements”. “The department has notified Qatar that it is considering the request and will contact the Qatar CAA seeking to arrange a meeting at a mutually convenient time,” the department said. It is expected the department will contact the QCAA before 25 October to arrange the meeting, in line with provisions under the current air services agreement.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-09-28/oneworld/australia-agrees-to-clear-the-air-talks-with-qatar-over-controversial-airline-decision
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Australia agrees to clear-the-air talks with Qatar over controversial airline decision
Australian bureaucrats will schedule a meeting with Qatari officials to discuss the Albanese government’s controversial decision to reject Qatar Airways’ request to almost double its flight operations to Australia. Senate inquiry hearings this week revealed that the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) – which lodged the request for an additional 28 weekly flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth – had requested consultations with the Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport. The QCAA said that on 16 August it “officially requested consultations … to better understand the reasons for their decision and to work together with the Department [of Infrastructure and Transport] to build a road map for future enhancements of traffic rights”. “We sincerely hope that the department will agree to schedule consultations as a matter of urgency and priority,” the QCAA said in a submission. The Qatari regulator had claimed that “no other carrier in the [Gulf Cooperation Council] region is subject to such strict conditions and requirements regarding fair competition in Australia”. On Wednesday, at a hearing of the Senate select committee on bilateral air service agreements – set up to examine the rejection of the Qatari request – executives from Qatar Airways said the QCAA was still waiting for the department to schedule such consultations. A Department of Infrastructure and Transport spokesperson told Guardian Australia it had received the QCAA’s request, and that “consultations are provided for under our current air services arrangements”. “The department has notified Qatar that it is considering the request and will contact the Qatar CAA seeking to arrange a meeting at a mutually convenient time,” the department said. It is expected the department will contact the QCAA before 25 October to arrange the meeting, in line with provisions under the current air services agreement.<br/>
