Australia Acting PM Wasn’t Consulted on Decision Over #Qatar Air - Bloomberg

Australia Acting PM Wasn’t Consulted on Decision Over Qatar Air - Bloomberg

Australia’s transport minister blocked a request from Qatar Airways to operate more flights into the country without consulting Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles.

Marles, who was standing in for the prime minister when the decision was made in July, said in an interview with Sky News on Sunday that the call was “within the purview” of Transport Minister Catherine King.

“She makes the decision on any specific application,” Marles said, adding that “we want to see greater access into the Australian market.”

The refusal of the Qatar request has come under intense political scrutiny. Australia’s aviation market is highly consolidated and public anger toward Qantas Airways Ltd., which controls about 61% of the domestic market, has been growing for months. Outrage over fake-ticket allegations, exorbitant fares and canceled flights culminated in the airline’s chief executive officer, Alan Joyce, stepping down on Tuesday, two months earlier than expected.

Traveler rage reached its peak in July last year, when Joyce’s Sydney home was pelted with eggs and toilet paper.