Using Ghost Flights, Qatar Airways circumvents Australian aviation laws

Qatar Airways has found a legal workaround in Australia, exploiting a regulatory gap to conduct additional flights within the country. The airline has been operating near-empty or entirely empty large passenger jets on a daily basis between Melbourne and Adelaide, a practice known in the aviation industry as "ghost flights." Industry insiders have criticized Qatar's utilization of this loophole, describing it as a disregard for Australia's stringent aviation laws. This is occurring despite the Albanese government rejecting the airline's formal request to expand flights due to concerns that increased capacity would run counter to Australia's "national interest."

Presently, the Qatari-government-owned airline faces a limit of 28 flights per week into Australia's major airports (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth). However, there are no such restrictions on flights to "non-major airports" like Adelaide. Capitalizing on this, Qatar Airways is able to operate its 354-seat Boeing 777-300ers between Melbourne and Adelaide without exceeding its weekly flight quota. Nevertheless, Australian aviation laws prohibit the sale of tickets for these flights to domestic passengers. Instead, the airline can only transport a limited number of international passengers who have specifically chosen this route, as opposed to Qatar Airways' separate direct flight between Adelaide and Doha.

Reports from November 2022 indicated that Australia's Qantas Airline is actively working to impede Qatar Airways' expansion in the country. Qantas executives argue that Qatar Airways' growth would be unfair, particularly in the post-coronavirus landscape, as a non-government-owned carrier struggles to compete. The Guardian Australia also highlighted other potential factors influencing the decision, such as Australian women pursuing legal action against Qatar Airways for damages related to forced invasive bodily examinations.