“But we found it very unfair,our legitimate request not to be granted,especially at a time when we were so supportive of Australia[by] repatriating the stranded citizens from around the world to and out of Australia,helping them receive medical supplies and spare parts,etcetera,etcetera,” Al Baker said.
“During the COVID period when the national carrier and their partners completely stopped operating[in] Australia,we were there for the people of Australia.”
His comments come days before hearings are set to begin in a Senate inquiry into King’s July 10 decision,with Qatar’s ambassador to Australia,Saad Abdulla Al-Mahmoud,and the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority,among those who have been called to give evidence.
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The inquiry’s remit has been expanded to look at the impediments to competition in Australia’s aviation industry as a whole. However,the probe was launched off the backdrop of acontroversial period for national carrier Qantas,whose former chief Alan Joyce resigned early amid a consumer watchdog investigation and claims of undue influence over government decisions.
King has repeatedly said her decision was made in the national interest and not in the commercial interests of any one airline,and granting Qatar’s application for 28 additional weekly flights in Australia would’ve set a new precedent.
The minister revealed the strip-searching of a group of Australian women at Doha Airport in October 2020 was a factor in her decision.