VIRGIN-HNA ALLIANCE GETS PRELIMINARY APPROVAL

VIRGIN-HNA ALLIANCE GETS PRELIMINARY APPROVAL
VIRGIN Australia's proposed alliance with HNA Aviation, Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express has been given interim approval by the ACCC.

If the final ruling, due in May or June, is positive, the Brisbane-based airline will commence direct flights between Australia and Hong Kong and Australia and China, which it will codeshare with HNA.

The airlines will also introduce a reciprocal frequent flyer partnership and codeshare on domestic routes.

HNA Group owns 13 per cent of Virgin Australia Holdings as part of a consortium of five international airlines that own more than 80 per cent of the company.

At the time alliance was proposed on 17 February, Virgin Australia Group CEO John Borghetti said the alliance would be a "game changer" for travel between Australia and China.

"The alliance will accelerate and support our access to the Chinese market, which is Australia's fastest growing and most valuable inbound travel market," says Borghetti.

"HNA Aviation fly nearly 100 million passengers each year and we look forward to working collaboratively with them to drive inbound visitation to Australia, resulting in significant benefits for the Australian tourism industry and broader economy.

"Importantly, this strategic alliance with HNA Aviation, Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express is a key plank in Virgin Australia's International strategy and will help our business deliver long-term growth and success."

Virgin Australia is trading up 2.63 per cent at $0.195 per share at 2:21pm AEDT on the ASX this afternoon.

Business News Australia

Get our daily business news

Sign up to our free email news updates.

Please tick to verify that you are not a robot

 

Help us deliver quality journalism to you.
As a free and independent news site providing daily updates
during a period of unprecedented challenges for businesses everywhere
we call on your support

Make smarter investing decisions with an Earnings Calendar
Partner Content
With the US reporting season just around the corner, it pays to know when exactly to gi...
moomoo
Advertisement

Related Stories

Afterpay owner Block Inc shares slammed following savage short seller report

Afterpay owner Block Inc shares slammed following savage short seller report

Shares in NASDAQ-listed Block Inc. (NASDAQ: SQ) - formerly Square -...

Aged care operator Estia Health receives $775m takeover offer from Bain Capital

Aged care operator Estia Health receives $775m takeover offer from Bain Capital

One of Australia’s largest residential aged care providers, E...

Invest Inya Farmer turns a shopping list of farm produce into a new investment class

Invest Inya Farmer turns a shopping list of farm produce into a new investment class

Victorian-based startup Invest Inya Farmer (IIF), armed with $1.1 m...

Board exodus at Nitro software as five directors depart, Potentia takes over

Board exodus at Nitro software as five directors depart, Potentia takes over

A Melbourne-founded software group that took on Adobe in the pdf ma...