Virgin Australia has started its fourth and final route to Doha. On December 1, it took off from Melbourne to the Middle East , beginning in time for the summer Down Under and Christmas and the New Year. It joins Virgin's flights from Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney to the Gulf hub, all of which started in June .

Many country pairs still have bilateral air service agreements, which dictate the extent and nature of market access. Qatar and Australia are no exception. As Qatar Airways has used half of its traffic rights, its ability to expand was greatly minimized. As such, it is using Virgin—and the previously unused Australian half of the rights—to increase its presence. And because Virgin no longer has its own widebodies, it is using the Gulf operator's Boeing 777-300ERs and

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