The Qantas oneworld partner and competitor to Emirates and Etihad has previously expressed an interest in flying to Australia’s biggest airport but has cited Sydney’s curfew as a hurdle.
However, Trade Minister Andrew Robb flagged in this morning’s announcement that Qatar was likely to start daily services to Sydney in addition to its flights to Melbourne and Perth.
“Airline connectivity plays a vital role in growing Australia’s premium agricultural trade of fresh products like dairy, horticulture and meats,” Mr Robb said.
“Qatar Airways is likely to commence a daily service between Sydney and Doha, which will allow businesses to quickly and efficiently move produce to global markets.’’
The new arrangement provides a 50 per cent increase in capacity to the major restricted airports of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.
Qatar already has unrestricted access to smaller airports.
“It will allow for up to 21 flights each week, each way, for airlines of both countries to the major gateways, catering for growth in the Australia-Qatar and Australia-Europe routes,’’ Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said.
Intense growth on international routes to and from Australia has dropped as the economy has cooled but the federal government has a policy of making sure available capacity keeps ahead of demand.
The government believes the Qatar move will aid inbound tourism and provide greater market accessibility for Australian exporters.
