Qantas Sale Act reform still doomed
The Australian Coalition government’s bid to dump foreign ownership restrictions on the domestic arm of Qantas has passed the House of Representatives after heated debate, but the move will be blocked in the Senate by opposition parties.
The bill was brought before the lower house today, saying that scrapping parts of the Qantas Sale Act would remove a ”range of outdated restrictions”.
The Act forces Qantas to remain at least 51% Australian owned, with no individual ”foreign person” allowed to own more than 25% of the airline, and foreign airlines allowed to own no more than 35%.
The legislation now heads to the upper house where it is expected to fail in both the current Senate, and the new Senate, which forms on July 1
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has supported the Coalition government’s move, saying the legislation would put Qantas on an even footing with its main competitor Virgin Australia, which has the advantage of being able to attract larger amounts of foreign investment.
In other moves, Qantas has begun a management reshuffle that will see a former Tigerair boss Andrew David taking a key role running the day-to-day operations of its domestic and international businesses.
David stepped down as Tigerair chief executive in 2013 to become the boss of Jetstar’s long-haul operations.
Before Tigerair, he was a key executive at Virgin Blue in Australia.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026