At great expense to my two-finger typing, here is the article:
Qantas eyes up Network Aviation
Qantas is in talks with Network Aviation, an airline based in Perth, with regards to an acquisition valued at as much as $100 million.
With 9 planes (six Embraer EMB120 Brasilias and three Fokker 100s), many of the charter flights the company conducts support “fly-in fly-out” mining operations.
Qantas and domestic rival Virgin Blue have upped the frequency of flights on existing “resource routes” and added new ones over the past year to tap into the most buoyant corner of the domestic market.
Qantas, which flies to mining towns rather than mine sites like Network Aviation does, has “regular and frequent conversations” with charter operators in all mining regions, said spokesman David Epstein. However, Epstein declined to comment on Network Aviation specifically. A recent review by the WA government resulted in the lucrative Perth-Geraldton route being opened to a second operator, with similar expansion opportunities to follow.
So while British Airways chief executive Willy Walsh continues to paw the ground for a union with Qantas, it seems the Australian airline’s focus remains squarely on matters at home.
Two years into the top job at Qantas, chief executive Alan Joyce has been more focused on organic expansion via the company’s low cost carrier, Jetstar, which he started in 2004.