Qantas not afraid of competition
By Geoff Dixon
February 23, 2006
Page 1 of 2
COMMENT
OVER the past year or so of trans-Pacific debate, I have learnt that competition means different things to different people.
Various commentators, analysts and editorial writers have cried "shame" over the prospect of the Australian Government "protecting" Qantas at the expense of Australian tourism and Australian consumers looking for a cheap flight to the US.
Singapore Airlines has chimed in with the extraordinary comment that it is time to get "the Government out of the business of protecting airlines" — this, without irony, from a Government-owned airline.
Let's look at the facts.
Australia and New Zealand have the world's most liberal aviation policies. Anyone can start up an airline in Australia. Singapore Airlines can set up a 100 per cent Singapore-owned airline here, something Qantas cannot do in Singapore. Foreign carriers have been granted access such that today they carry seven out of every 10 passengers to Australia.
More...