ACCC to deny coordination between Qantas and China Eastern

The ACCC has issued a draft determination proposing to deny authorisation for Qantas Airways and China Eastern Airlines Corporation and their related entities (including Jetstar) to continue coordinating operations between Australia and mainland China. Qantas and China Eastern are seeking authorisation for an Extended Joint Coordination Agreement that enables them to coordinate passenger and cargo transport operations between Australia and China until the end of March 2024. An agreement for coordination between two key competitors may breach competition laws, says ACCC. The ACCC can only authorise these agreements if the public benefits from the coordination outweigh the harm to competitio