Qantas face LATAM competition on Sydney to Santiago

The ACCC’s interim authorisation will allow the airlines to market and sell the flights between Doha and Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, with east coast flights to commence in June 2025 and Perth flights to follow in November.

Skytrans CEO Alan Milne said his “gut feeling” is that the age of Rex’s Saab 340B turboprops – which are around 30 years old on average – could make it tougher for administrator EY Australia to sell the airline.

The aircraft, operated by low-cost carrier Jeju, is thought to have been hit by a bird strike that damaged its landing gear and forced the crew to attempt a “crash landing”.