Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia were awarded one slot each to operate flights at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, according to a draft decision by Australia’s International Air Services Commission (IASC).
The opening at Haneda Airport, which is closer to central Tokyo than Narita airport, comes as Virgin Australia’s new CEO Paul Scurrah looks to rejig the loss-making airline’s route network to better compete against deep-pocketed rival Qantas.
Haneda Airport has a limited number of slots and pinned the two Australian carriers up against each other for the lucrative opportunity. Qantas had applied for both slots, while Virgin Australia applied for just the one.
A final decision by IASC will come sometime after it closes a submission deadline on October 24 about its draft call, according to its statement issued on Monday, October 21.
Virgin Australia, which is trying to raise debt to fund the full takeover of its frequent flyer program, wrote in an emailed statement it plans to use its allocated slot to operate a daily service between Brisbane and Haneda from March next year.
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
FTC Moves to Ban Non-Compete Agreements, Aiming to Boost Labor Mobility
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
Federal Judge Nods at $418M Deal in Real Estate Antitrust Suit
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
Mexican Watchdog Probes Amazon and Mercado Libre Over Loyalty Bundles
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
Competition Commission of India to Probe AI Landscape for Competition
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
Canada’s Agricultural Giants in Antitrust Spotlight
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI