https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2185082/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-airways-and-australias-qantas
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways and Australia’s Qantas move ever closer – and Virgin is miffed
Cathay Pacific Airways customers may soon be able to fly in the world’s biggest passenger jet.
But Hong Kong’s top airline has not bought a batch of the Airbus A380 planes; it will be selling tickets for Qantas’ jets under a proposed code-share plan, according to sources.
The arrangement – which has riled rival Virgin Australia – would dramatically boost the travel options for fliers between the city and Australia.
Highlighting its effort to strengthen its presence in the China market, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told the Post last week in London that the arrangement “had huge consumer benefits”.
Qantas applied to the Australian air traffic rights body on behalf of Cathay Pacific at the start of the year. The International Air Services Commission (IASC) has responded and the country’s competition regulator asked for more details on the proposal.
If the authorities approve the tie-up, Cathay and Qantas will be able to offer six daily flights to and from Sydney, for example, starting as early as March 31. Virgin offers one daily flight, code-sharing with Hong Kong Airlines.
Qantas sends the double-decker A380 between Sydney and Hong Kong during summer in the southern hemisphere.