Qantas deal clears final barrier

The New Zealand government has cleared Qantas and Emirates to extend their deal to trans-Tasman routes. Almost two months after the alliance won approval from the Australian competition regulator, New Zealand Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has given the green light to the Qantas-Emirates deal for five years. The airlines’ request to extend their alliance to the trans-Tasman market was the most contentious part of the deal, which is focused on routes to Europe via Emirates’ base in Dubai. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has already forced Qantas and Emirates to keep capacity on four overlapping routes on the Tasman