Qantas: The red kangaroo gets set to hop to Texas

Qantas about to fly away

Qantas is expected to announce a takeover offer of around A$10.9 billion (US$8.55 billion) from a consortium led by Macquarie Bank Ltd. this week, possibly as early as tomorrow, sources said.

Shareholders have been waiting for the offer since the carrier confirmed nearly two weeks ago that it had received a buyout approach from a consortium that includes Macquarie and private equity firm Texas Pacific Group .

Two people close to the transaction said a bid was unlikely to be announced on Tuesday, but was not far away. A source close to Qantas said the ball was in the acquirer's court.

"We'd all welcome some resolution to this as soon as possible," the source said.

Groups involved in the talks include Allco Finance Group, Pacific Equity Partners and Canadian investment firm Onex Corp. Final stakes in the consortium have yet to be set.