The airline had been prevented from selling through travel agents because the International Air Transport Association refuses to issue codes for its global billing and settlement plan until an airline has its air operator's certificate.

More than 80 per cent of worldwide airline revenues are ticketed by IATA travel agencies in the system.

But VAustralia, due to launch its first flights in mid-December, has teamed with travel payment specialists ENett International to get around the impasse.

The airline said the new system, pointedly named the VAustralia Settlement Plan, would allow travel agents to book and ticket the new international carrier's flights with major global distribution systems and settle payments directly with V Australia, initially within Australia and New Zealand.

The breakthrough came as the airline announced that its Pacific Blue unit had entered a heads of agreement with Airlines PNG to operate code-share services between Port Moresby and Brisbane from November.