A bumbling Australian political operative sparks an international incident when he leaves secret documents on a PLANE in Qatar

It has all the makings of an international spy thriller: a missing bag of confidential Cabinet documents, an exotic location and an impending government decision to stop a Middle Eastern airline from expanding its presence in Australia.

No wonder, then, that the case of a bag of missing cabinet papers sent the Albanian government into a flurry of conspiratorial activity.

According to political news site Capital Brief, which first broke the news of the puzzling mystery, an aide to Labor Minister Murray Watt accidentally left the papers on a plane while flying through the Qatari capital of Doha last July.

Although airline staff were alerted shortly after disembarkation that the locked closet bag had been left on board, staff at Hamad International Airport said they were unable to locate the bag or its secret contents.

The mistake then became a matter of international intrigue when Watt's office informed the Australian embassy in Doha that she had lost the confidential papers. The embassy couldn't find the missing bag either.

According to Capital Brief, the timing of the incident raised suspicions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as it occurred just a week before the Albanian government announced that it would reject Qatar Airways' offer of launch and 28 additional flights to Australia .

The controversial decision sparked widespread backlash amid allegations that the ban presented an unfair commercial advantage to rival Qantas, which had campaigned extensively against Qatar Airways' application.

The worrying incident raised suspicions in government circles as it came on the eve of a major announcement about Qatar's intention to expand its presence in Australia

There is no indication that the bag contained documents related to the Qatari decision or any other international issue, or that it was taken by Qatari officials.

Mr Watt, the then Agriculture Minister, and his advisers had at the time returned to Australia on government business after visiting India and Italy.

Capital Brief said the documents were related to domestic agricultural matters and were actually left on an Indian plane and not a plane operated by Qatar's state airline.

Watt's office was contacted for comment on the embarrassing blunder. Government sources told Daily Mail Australia the saga had been kept top secret within the country's corridors of power.

Murray Watt was Labor's agriculture minister at the time of the embarrassing blunder

Qatar Airways has embarked on a small, independent scheme to circumvent government landing restrictions. This week it was announced that the company was looking to acquire a 25% stake in Virgin Australia.

Virgin Australia announced the Middle Eastern airline would acquire a 25 percent stake in its company.

The deal, which is subject to Foreign Investment Review Board approval, would allow flights from Australia's four largest cities to Doha under an aircraft and crew leasing agreement.

Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia have been linked since 2022

In a statement, Virgin said the proposed minority stake would create “more choice and better value for Australians”.

“Domestic competition in Australia depends on Virgin Australia weathering the inevitable ups and downs of aviation.”

The deal would come about with the Gulf airline acquiring a 25 percent stake from Bain Capital, Virgin's owner.

“This partnership adds the missing piece to Virgin Australia’s longer-term strategy and is a great vote of confidence for Australian aviation,” said Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka.