Virgin Australia (VA, Brisbane International) is on the road to privatization Australian market analysts have predicted. According to the Sydney Herald, speculation about possible ownership scenarios has intensified since Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) last week increased its stake in the airline to 19.9% while Air New Zealand (NZ, Auckland International), Virgin Australia's largest shareholder, has also received regulatory clearance to boost its stake from 23% to 26%. It is believed that both Air New Zealand and 19% shareholder, Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi), will likely pair up in the medium term, in a bid to acquire the airline outright. However, should this go ahead, tighter cooperation between the two would be a prerequisite. Analysts further pointed to Virgin boardroom chaos should the three major shareholders "move to a 30-40 percent shareholding over time without any pair of airlines working in tandem". As it stands, no airline has yet made any mention, or any move for that matter, regarding plans to pair up.