Last week I wrote about Qatar launching Canberra services which was a move a lot of people didn’t expect but could potentially be quite valuable for the airline. After the announcement many asked if their big competitors Etihad and Emirates would start Canberra services and they said No.

Per the Canberra Times,

“Emirates continues to explore new destinations where we know there is a demand for our services. At this stage no plans have been made regarding Emirates services to Canberra,” an Emirates spokeswoman said.

A spokesman for Etihad also said direct flights to Canberra were not on the cards as: “We currently serve the Canberra market through a codeshare arrangement with Virgin Australia.”

I think once Qatar starts services both Etihad and Emirates may keep an eye on how the route is performing; it’s something Qatar and Delta did, not so secretly. It makes perfect sense for both Etihad and Emirates not to launch services as they have extensive partnerships with Qantas and Virgin Australia. Do I think the demand is there? I’m still conflicted, all ME3 perform extremely well out of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth but not sure still not sure about Canberra. Singapore Airlines have been having fairly light loads which could be a bad sign but who knows. One thing that is for certain is that the prices will be high!

(Hat tip – Canberra Times)

Image – The Strait Times