Rex regional airline deputy chairman John Sharp was hoping to see a broader inquiry into Qantas over its market dominance and joined Queensland and SA governments in urging Transport Minister Catherine King to reconsider its decision to deny Qatar Airways additional flights.

Sharp on Monday said the competition watchdog’s lawsuit against Qantas would bring to light concerning practices that warrant further investigation.

“We’d like to see [a broader inquiry],” Sharp said on ABC’s RN Breakfast. “There’s going to be a lot of practices that are seen as anticompetitive coming forward. And I think in that situation, you could definitely hold some sort of inquiry, or you could pass legislation to ensure that there’s a more competitive environment.”

“There’s a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes. Qantas plays the game very ruthlessly, they play it to win, they’re a giant, they can be a bully, and they are a bully.”

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Outgoing chief executive Alan Joyce, who was grilled over the profit figures in a Senate select committee last week, has defended the federal government’s decision to reject an application from Qatar Airways to run more flights from Australia.

Community disappointment with Qantas has been building for some time and in sharp contrast to the results delivered by the airline to its investors. The company posted a record $2.5 billion profit a week before news of the ACCC’s action against the company.

However, pressure is mounting on the Qantas board to show that it is taking action to acknowledge the discontent and damage to the airline’s brand, with some critics clamouring for executive bonuses to be cut.

Qantas shares closed 2.9 per cent lower to $5.65 on Monday. The stock is down 12.1 per cent over the last month.