The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has approved the proposed partnership between Virgin Australia and Alliance Airlines. The partnership will allow the coordination of activities on several regional and short-haul international routes.
On Friday (April 9, 2021), Virgin Australia announced that their proposed commercial partnership with Alliance Airlines has been approved by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The carriers can now explore options to coordinate operations on several regional and short-haul international routes. Under the partnership, Virgin Australia will work with Alliance Airlines on opportunities to expand their regional footprint, potentially allowing the redeployment of Boeing 737NGs on higher density routes across Alliance’s regional network. The ACCC has granted authorization for the partnership through March 31, 2023. Virgin Australia does not plan on utilizing Alliance on scheduled services within Western Australia.
In Friday’s announcement, Virgin Australia’s General Manager – Network and Alliances, Jim Fuoco, said,
“We recognise our role in providing regional communities with choice and convenience, and through this partnership, we’ll be able to look at new ways to bring more competition on regional routes as the domestic travel market recovers from COVID-19. The partnership gives us the flexibility to coordinate and determine pricing, capacity and scheduling with Alliance, as well as the ability to better manage demand and ensure we’re flying the right aircraft on the right route.”
Alliance Airlines is Australia’s leading fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) air charter operator and is recognized as leading aviation professional. The airline provides tailored and customized group and individual travel experiences through the provision of ad-hoc charter services. The company’s entire team shares one common goal, “to get on with the job” by continuing to provide safe and enjoyable travel experiences for their guests, without being hampered by unnecessary layers of process.
Alliance Airlines has obtained full compliance with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulatory standards. Additionally, Alliance was the first Australian carrier to be accredited with the Gold Standard Flight Safety Foundation Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) and the carrier has also successfully completed audits by Wyvern Wingman and Achilles.
Source(s): Virgin Australia, Alliance Airlines