And then there was one: Virgin Atlantic's withdrawal leaves BA as only European airline in Australia

It is no mere coincidence that, just as Virgin Atlantic announced an end to its Hong Kong-Sydney services, thereby withdrawing from the Australian market, an ad from Australia's largest travel agency proclaims: "There are hundreds of prices and ways to get to the UK and Ireland from Australia."

The Australia-Europe market has undergone profound change, each step adding more competition. Gulf carriers occupy a powerful presence, there are new and expanded entrants like China Southern and Garuda Indonesia, Qantas partners with Emirates while British Airways and Cathay Pacific, as well as Air New Zealand and Cathay, have become friends. The result of these partnerships and new carriers is to offer more options, opening up multiple destinations in what is a fragmented market. London-Sydney is the largest market between Europe and Australia, but accounts for only around a tenth of passengers in that market.