Qatar Airways to buy 25% stake in Virgin Australia from Bain Capital

Qatar Airways plans to acquire a 25% stake in Virgin Australia. The deal, pending regulatory approval, aims to improve Qatar's market access.

Qatar Airways plans to take a 25% stake in Australia’s Virgin Australia Airlines Pty, deepening ties between the two carriers, including Virgin starting flights to Doha to feed into the Gulf carrier’s international network. 

Qatar Airways intends to buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia, facilitating new Doha flights. This investment aims to strengthen Qatar's presence in a competitive market, especially after being denied additional flights. Virgin will reintroduce long-haul routes starting mid-2025.(AP)

Qatar plans to acquire the stake from Virgin Australia’s owner Bain Capital, the companies said Monday in a joint statement. Terms of the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, weren’t disclosed. 

The move aims to give Qatar Airways better access to a market where it was denied more flights by the government last year — a move the airline criticized as unfair. Australia’s domestic market is highly concentrated, with dominant player Qantas Airways Ltd. carrying 62% of passengers in March, according to the nation’s competition regulator. Virgin had 31% of the market, followed by Rex, which collapsed in July after a failed attempt to challenge the majors on capital city routes. 

The tie-up will also see Virgin return to long-haul international flights. From mid-2025, the airline will launch flights from Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney to Doha. 

Virgin went bankrupt during the the pandemic, and was rescued in 2020 by Bain in a deal that wiped out much of the claims of unsecured creditors. Qatar’s stake serves as a cornerstone investment ahead of Virgin’s anticipated return as a listed company. Bain last year postponed plans for an initial public offering that would have valued the airline at around A$2.5 billion ($1.7 billion)

Qatar has been adding to its network of global equity holdings. The carrier has announced several acquisitions in Africa, including buying a 25% stake in South Africa’s SA Airlink Pty and the pending purchase of 49% of Rwanda’s RwandAir. The Doha-based carrier is the largest shareholder of British Airways owner IAG SA, and owns about 10% of Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Latam Airlines Group SA. 

Virgin Group and Queensland Investment Corp. will retain shareholdings in Virgin Australia, according to the statement.