BA sale lets Qantas fly to China

Qantas Airways will probably begin flying to Beijing within a year as part of its expansion into Asia, the Australian flag-carrier’s chief executive, Geoff Dixon, said today.

When British Airways sold its 18.25% stake in Qantas last week, Dixon said Qantas would be free to expand its Asia-Pacific presence, and to take part in any future consolidation among the region’s airlines.

Qantas, having already tried several times to crack the Chinese market, is now on a stronger financial footing to succeed, Dixon said.

“I also think we have much better aircraft now that would suit the China market – the (Airbus) A330, the A300 aircraft,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp television. “I would hope that we would be going back into Beijing within around about 12 months.”

“We must, if we’re going to be successful, be successful in China,” he said. “I also believe that’s the same for India.”

Qantas restarted direct service to India’s financial centre, Bombay, after halting non-stop services there for two years.