"Qantas and Virgin pressured to refuse to take part in removal of asylum seekers", 9 August 2018

Qantas and Virgin are facing increasing pressure from unions, advocacy groups and the public to refuse to participate in the forced removal of asylum seekers from Australia, as airlines around the world boycott deportations.

...The advocacy group the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR)...is arguing both airlines should refuse to take part in forced deportations to countries where people might face persecution or danger....

...A statement signed by more than 60 representatives of business, unions, human rights organisations and academia argues companies have obligations to respect human rights, and to ignore international legal obligations can damage a company’s reputation and risk its financial interests...

A spokesman for Qantas [said]...“We appreciate that this is a sensitive issue.

“The government and courts are best placed to make decisions on complex immigration matters, not airlines.”

A spokesman for Virgin Australia said the airline “works with a number of government organisations to transport passengers for a range of reasons”.

“Virgin Australia complies with Australian immigration law and will continue to take advice on this matter from the relevant authorities.”