Virgin Australia could soon be part-owned by Qatar Airways, opening a major Australia to the Middle East route to the roster by mind-2025.

The news comes just over a year after Transport Minister Catherine King controversially blocked the expansion of Qatar flights into major Australian airports – a decision that Virgin, a codeshare partner of Qatar,

Virgin Australia will soon be partly owned by Qatar Airways and begin flying to Doha as soon as mid-2025, pending regulatory approvals.Virgin confirmed the Gulf carrier’s intentions to take a 25 per cent stake in the Australian airline if approved by the Foreign Investment Review Board,

Qatar Airways will buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia from U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital, posing a tougher contest for Qantas Airways that has dominated Australian routes and pushed back against giving access to the Middle Eastern carrier.

Qatar Airways plans to take a 25% stake in Australia’s Virgin Australia Airlines Pty, expanding the Gulf carrier’s global network of equity holdings.

Qatar Airways has announced it intends to buy a 25 per cent stake in Virgin Australia. Sky News Business Reporter Edward Boyd said by mid-2025, Virgin Australia will be “flying from some of the big capital cities direct to Doha” and travellers can continue to fly on to other European destinations with Qatar.