Qatar Airways plans to acquire a 25 per cent stake in Virgin Australia, while the existing codeshare agreement between the two carriers is also expected to expand.

Qatar Airways unveiled a bid to take a 25 percent stake in troubled airline Virgin Australia on Tuesday, a deal that could shake up Australia's Qantas-dominated market.

Qatar Airways’ previous attempts to expand in Australia haven’t always gone smoothly. But will Qantas be worried regardless?

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,

Virgin announced on Oct. 1 that Qatar aims to acquire a 25% stake in the Australian airline from owner Bain Capital. The pair are already strategic partners, and the stake would lead them to strengthen their relationship, the carriers said. The Qatar Airways interest has been previously reported.

Qatar Airways plans to take a 25% stake in Australia’s Virgin Australia Airlines Pty, deepening ties between the two carriers, including Virgin starting flights to Doha to feed into the Gulf carrier’s international network.

Qatar Airways has reached a deal to buy a minority stake in Australia's second-largest airline, Virgin Australia.

The Australian's Associate Editor Eric Johnston says Qantas faces a “competitive threat” following Qatar’s plans to buy a 25 per cent stake in Virgin Australia.

Virgin Australia’s outgoing boss Jayne Hrdlicka says the airline would not be in a position to deliver long-haul services between Australia and Europe for at least the next six years without Qatar Airway’s support.

The stake will be acquired from Virgin Australia’s owner Bain Capital, the companies said in a joint statement