ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister Responsible for Civil Aviation Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says Australian carrier Qantas is being investigated for possible breaches of Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission regulations.
He made the comment while speaking in Parliament on Monday.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum was responding to comments made by Social Democratic Liberal Party parliamentarian Viliame Gavoka who had said that Fiji Airways had suffered as a direct result of its poor relationship with Qantas — which has a 46 per cent stake in the Fijian national carrier.
Mr Gavoka said if Qantas had remained on the Fiji Airways board, assistance would have been rendered during the Boeing737 MAX 8 grounding.
“Nobody is stopping Qantas from sitting on the (Fiji Airways) board, they themselves left,” said Mr Sayed-Khaiyum.
“Honourable Leader of the Opposition would know what happened to Air Pacific in those days and how Fiji then went cap in hand to Qantas and said ‘can you please contribute funds, we’ve not been running the company properly?’ Their holding was only about 14 to 15 per cent, today it is about 46 per cent veto rights. “Our national carrier had veto rights by a foreign company.
“Today we have a situation where Qantas is a shareholder in Fiji Airways and they are cannibalising.
“They are probably in breach of the FCCC requirements in Fiji and also in Australia, and investigations are being carried out in that respect.
“So where is the loyalty — loyalty to Qantas or loyalty to Fiji Airways.”
In response to queries from this newspaper regarding the comments made by the A-G, FCCC chief executive officer Joel Abraham said he could “confirm receiving information pertaining to activities in the airline industry”.
“The issues are under investigation as per normal procedures,” he said.
