Carrier gets go ahead from Australia
Reports in the Australian media suggest that Qatar Airways is about to announce flights to Sydney.
Under the terms of a revised air services agreement, Doha's national airline has been given permission to begin daily flights to Sydney with immediate effect.
Gaining traffic rights into Australia is a not an easy task for any foreign airline as the authorities are anxious to protect the interests of national carrier Qantas.
The previous agreement signed a couple of years ago specified that Qatar operate first to Melbourne and Brisbane.
But the airline wasn't happy with that decision and never took up the offer as it believed that, without Sydney, these routes would not be economically viable.
When contacted, Qatar Airways was not prepared to comment further and a Sydney start date is awaited, but it is believed a statement will be made on Wednesday (March 9).
When the new route does start, it will give European travellers yet another option on the voluminous kangaroo route Down Under.
www.qatarairways.com