Qantas to pursue Asian operations as its international services lose $200m

Qantas is set to push ahead with plans for an Asian-based full-service airline as part of wide-ranging moves to fix its international operations, which lost $200m in the past year.

The airline, which yesterday announced that it expected to make an underlying profit of $500m-$550m before tax for the 2010-11 year, up 46 per cent on last year's $377m, is looking at several potential bases similar to its Jetstar operations in Singapore.

Both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have been touted as possible sites for a full-service airline, and Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce would not rule out China. He said a decision on whether and how it would proceed would be revealed on August 24.

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