Branson tells Australian govt to stop propping up Qantas

[SYDNEY] British billionaire Richard Branson yesterday waded into a dispute over the future of Australian carrier Qantas, urging the government not to "prop up the weak".

Mr Branson's Virgin Group is a 10 per cent holder of Virgin Australia, the main domestic rival to Qantas which is lobbying politicians over what it claims is an uneven playing field in Australian skies.

Qantas claims Virgin Australia, which is now majority-owned by state-backed carriers Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad, is using its foreign owners' financial clout to set uncompetitively low prices to win customers.