Australia highlighted that strip searches of women in 2020 are a factor in denying Qatar Airways permission to increase its flights to Australia this year.
This revelation adds a fresh perspective to the ongoing controversy regarding the Australian Labor government’s ties with Qantas.
Qantas had previously objected to Qatar Airways’ request for more flights. The opposition has criticized Labor for curbing competition in favor of Qantas, which has led to a Senate investigation into the matter.
Australian Transport Minister Catherine King mentioned the invasive searches of female travelers, including five Australians, at Hamad International Airport in 2020, stating it provided “context” for the July decision restricting Qatar Airways.
“It wasn’t the only factor. It was a factor,” King said. She recalled the incident where women were removed from a Qatar Airways plane and subjected to medical examinations following the discovery of an abandoned infant at the airport. The government of Qatar subsequently issued an apology.
King detailed that the women were taken under armed escort for “invasive searches” inside ambulances positioned on the tarmac.
Contradicting claims that increasing Qatar Airways’ flights would decrease international fare prices, King called such suggestions “nonsense.”
However, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) argued that more flights from Qatar Airways would indeed reduce fares.
King justified her decision to reject Qatar Airways’ plea for an additional 21 international flights to major Australian cities.
As of now, Qatar Airways conducts 28 international flights to Australia every week.
The ACCC recently sued Qantas over allegations of violating consumer laws by selling tickets for around 8,000 flights that were subsequently canceled in mid-2022.
Qantas’s long-serving CEO, Alan Joyce, chose to retire earlier than planned due to criticism over the company’s historical actions. As a result, Vanessa Hudson began her tenure as Qantas’s inaugural female CEO this week.
