Virgin Australia announced on October 1 that the existing partnership between the two companies will be further "strengthened" with the acquisition of a 25% stake in the company by Qatar Airways Group.
Virgin Atlantic revealed it could soon launch flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to Doha through a "wet lease" agreement with Qatar Airways, once regulatory approval is received.
A "wet lease" agreement is when one airline provides services to another airline that includes the aircraft, full crew, maintenance and insurance.
Mr Hedrika said the new long-haul route between Australia and Doha is expected to bring about $3 billion in economic benefits to Australia.
Tuesday's (1 October) statement comes as Australia has been criticised for rejecting Qatar Airways' proposal to double the number of weekly flights to 56.
The decision came under scrutiny after it was later revealed that Qantas had lobbied the government to block the approval of additional flights.
Virgin Australia has faced challenges this year, with outgoing CEO Jayne · Hrdlicka describing the second half of the financial year as "extremely difficult" in September.
Hedrika took over as CEO in November 2020 after United States private equity firm Bain Capital took over bankrupt Virgin Australia during the global pandemic and helped it weather the storm.
"This partnership fills in the missing piece of Virgin Australia's long-term strategy and is a huge vote of confidence in the Australia aviation industry," Hedrika said. ”
However, it was only last month that Hedrika downplayed rumours that Qatar Airways would be looking to take a stake in the company, saying the speculation was just "some creative fiction."
A fatal accident occurred at a popular Victorian attraction and a Chinese woman drowned
On Monday, the first day after the long weekend, three people were swept into the sea by waves after a drowning near Cape Schanck Lighthouse on Victoria's popular Mornington Peninsula, one of the women killed instantly.
It is reported that at the time of the incident, the three were walking on the boardwalk near the lighthouse when they were unexpectedly swept into the water by the waves.
One of them, a 55-year-old man from China and a 24-year-old man from Parkville, managed to swim back to shore.
They were then taken to Rosebud Hospital for treatment and are currently in stable condition.
Emergency services arrived at the scene after receiving the alarm and recovered the body of another woman who had fallen into the water at around 12:15 p.m.
The deceased is believed to be a 53-year-old Chinese woman, and the police said there was nothing suspicious about her death and that the medical examiner would prepare a report for her.
澳大利亚冲浪救生协会（Surf Life Saving Australia）最新的《2022年全国沿海安全报告（National Coastal Safety Report 2022）》显示，来自多元文化社区的成员面临较高的溺水风险。
In the decade 2012 to 2022, nearly half (48%) of Australia's coastal drowning people were born overseas in confirmed drowning places, with China-born drowning having the highest number of drowning deaths, accounting for 6.6% of the total number of drowning deaths.
Lifesaving Victoria's Liam ·O'Callaghan reminds visitors to the area to be extra cautious on unpatrolled beaches such as Shanker Point.
"When you walk along the boardwalk, you have to be careful and pay attention to the safety of your feet," he said. ”
Cape Gram Lighthouse is located at the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula, about 100 kilometres from Melbourne. The trail is a very popular tourist attraction and has had accidents before.
In February, several people were swept off rocks by waves near the Cape Shanker Lighthouse and taken to the hospital.