By aviation writer Scott Mayman

There are high hopes direct flights will resume between Canberra and the Middle East city of Doha.

The possibility has come to light in a submission to the inquiry looking at the proposed partnership between Virgin and Qatar Airways.

The document reveals an initial offer to add a total of 28 return flights to Doha from Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

However, Canberra has also been listed as a gateway port to launch a new route.

Qatar Airways originally began a daily, direct service from Canberra to Doha, via Sydney, in February 2018, but it was effectively lost to the pandemic and never to return.

Canberra Airport welcomed the possibility of a new proposal, saying the merger deal would increase competition.

The airport’s head of aviation, Michael Thomson, says: “With Qantas dominating the market for flights from Canberra, the deal would increase competition for the lucrative corporate and government market that makes up the bulk of passengers flying to Canberra”.

The deal would see Qatar buying a 25 per cent stake in Virgin.

Final approvals are not expected until March and the deal also requires approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board.