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British Airways-owner IAG will consider selling its 20% stake in Air Europa as the Spanish airline's owner continues talks with Air France-KLM and Lufthansa to sell a stake in the company, IAG's CEO told Reuters. The move comes as European airlines have called for further consolidation of the sector, with many focusing on key routes in southern Europe as a target for expansion. "It's something that we are going to decide when (Globalia) take a decision about what they do with the company (Air Europa). We can stay or we can leave," IAG CEO Luis Gallego said on Thursday. IAG scrapped a deal to buy Air Europa last year after it couldn't convince EU competition regulators that its proposed remedies were sufficient. Gallego said IAG was still interested in taking a stake in Portugal's TAP as IAG seeks to pursue a double-hub strategy in Iberia with Madrid and Lisbon as key points. However, elections in Portugal are set to delay TAP's sale, which means the conditions for any deal are still unclear. "If there is continuity with the current government, I think the process is going to be delayed maybe two, three months," Gallego said. "If there is a new government, I think we are going to have a bigger delay." He added that IAG's interest in TAP was contingent on its ability to be able to integrate the airline into its broader group and processes. "What we need to see is not only the stake, but also the freedom that you have to manage the company," he said.<br/>

Australia's competition regulator said on Friday it had granted authorisation to Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways to operate flights between Doha and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth under an integrated alliance for five years. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had backed the alliance in February, after it gave its interim approval to Virgin Australia in November to market and sell 28 weekly scheduled return flights between Doha and the Australian cities. "We consider that the conduct is likely to result in public benefits such as adding additional capacity on flights between Australia and the Middle East and is likely to result in minimal, if any, public detriment," the ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said. "This will likely place downward price pressure on these routes and will also give customers of Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways a greater choice of international flights with additional connectivity and loyalty program benefits." ACCC said the applicants did not seek authorisation for proposed exclusivity arrangements, even though concerns were raised by interested parties on the alliance potentially reducing Virgin Australia's ability to enter into partnerships with other airlines. Interim authorisation will remain in place until the final determination comes into effect, the regulator added in its statement.<br/>

Cathay Pacific Group will be increasing its operations into Mainland China for the northern summer season, tapping on “growing two-way travel demand”. The airline group, comprising mainline operator Cathay and low-cost unit HK Express, will be operating up to 300 return flights a week, as it progressively ramps up capacity from April. The figure is about 40% higher than 2023 schedules. The airline group flies to 20 points in Mainland China, including soon-to-be launched flights to Urumqi in Xinjiang province. Cathay will increase flights to Beijing and Shanghai, which it has said are two “major national strategic areas” of focus. Cathay will operate seven daily flights to Beijing Capital airport, while HK Express will operate a daily flight to Beijing Daxing. The Oneworld operator will also serve Shanghai Pudong eight times a day, along with 11 weekly flights to Shanghai Hongqiao. Cathay will increase flights to Zhengzhou, Haikou and Chongqing from four times a week to daily operations. HK Express, meanwhile, will also operate daily flights to Ningbo. Cities like Hangzhou, Nanjing and Wenzhou will also see increments in frequencies, says Cathay.<br/>