By aviation writer Scott Mayman

Flights between Canberra and Abu Dhabi just got a little bit harder, while next year offers Virgin flights to Doha.

Virgin’s negotiations of a tie up with Qatar Airlines has both airlines talking about flights linking Canberra with Doha. However, passengers will still need to first fly to Melbourne.

Details of the plan are still being ratified.

But the Virgin-Qatar deal comes at a cost. Virgin’s long-running association with Etihad Airlines, is coming to an end because of Qatar’s investment and future scheduling arrangements with the Aussie carrier.

That means, from July anyone from Canberra will need to purchase a second ticket with Qatar… or fly through another international city, to get to Abu Dhabi.

Qatar’s feeling the love for Canberra again