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Australia’s competition watchdog opposes Qantas-Japan Airlines joint venture
May 6th 2021
Australia's competition watchdog said in a draft determination today it would reject a proposed joint venture between Qantas and Japan Airlines on flights between Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Read More » It said the proposed partnership would likely result in significant public detriments and give the two airlines increased ability and incentive either to unilaterally reduce capacity or limit capacity growth to allow them to raise prices on certain routes. “We took into account there may be some short-term benefits from the proposed agreement such as allowing Qantas and Japan Airlines to more quickly reinstate flights between Australia and Japan," Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chair, Rod Sims, said. "Our current view is these [factors] are outweighed by the severe harm to competition."
