© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Qantas Airways QF100 flight, which marks the airline’s 100th birthday, departs from Sydney Airport to fly over Sydney Harbour in Australia, November 16, 2020. Gregg Porteous/Destination NSW/Handout via REUTERS/File photo
(Reuters) -Qantas Airways will drop its A$611 million ($387 million) plan to buy out charter flight operator Alliance Aviation Services, the companies said on Thursday, months after Australia’s competition regulator blocked the deal.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had in April denied authorisation for the acquisition saying the deal was likely to push prices up and service quality down.
The two firms, however, believe the buyout would have beefed up customer value without negatively affecting competition in the resources sector, Qantas and Alliance said in a joint statement on Thursday.
“There is no reasonable path forward for the deal at present,” the companies said.
The country’s flag carrier will retain a near 20% stake in Alliance and will continue its long-standing deal that sees the smaller carrier operate up to 30 E190s aircraft for Qantas.
($1 = 1.5785 Australian dollars)
