The interim approval by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) allows Virgin Australia to market and sell 28 weekly scheduled return flights between Doha and Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.

The competition watchdog will allow Virgin to start selling tickets on Qatar Airways-operated flights to Doha, but has warned the closer partnership between the airlines remains subject to final approval by the regulator and the Foreign Investment Review Board overseen by federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has granted interim approval for a partnership between Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia, which allows them to sell long-haul return flights starting in June 2025.

Australia's competition watchdog said on Friday it had given its interim approval for Virgin Australia [IPO-VIR.AX] to start selling Qatar Airways-operated flights between Doha and four capital cities in Australia.