Virgin Australia will restart long-haul operations from June 2025, operating a series of flights to Doha under a partnership with prospective investor Qatar Airways.
The agreement will see Virgin Australia wet lease Qatar’s Boeing 777s to operate from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to Doha. In total, the airline will operate 28 weekly flights to the Qatari capital. The flights will carry Virgin Australia’s code, with Qatar as a codeshare partner.
From Doha, passengers will be able to connect to Qatar’s European, African and Middle East network, says Virgin Australia.
Airline chief Jayne Hrdlicka calls the partnership – pending regulatory approvals – “game-changing”, stating: “This is a huge win for Australian travellers which brings more value and choice for passengers wanting to fly internationally.
She adds: “Through this partnership Virgin Australia becomes stronger, improving our ability to compete domestically – which is great news for Virgin Australia, our people and consumers.”
The airline suspended long-haul and widebody operations in 2020 as it entered administration. After emerging under new owners Bain Capital, Virgin Australia adopted a domestic and short-haul network operating model with a fleet of Boeing 737s.
The carrier first hinted at a return to widebody operations in October, after Qatar announced its intention to take a minority 25% in Virgin Australia.
The “strategic investment” will provide Virgin Australia with “access to the critical scale and expertise of a world leading global airline”, said Qatar of the deal.
