Foreign airlines may be granted domestic Australian routes
The proposal to let foreign airlines ply domestic routes in Australia has come under attack by Shadow federal transport minister Anthony Albanese.
Albanese called the idea ‘unilateral economic disarmament’ that would cost Australian jobs in the airline sector.
The government is considering allowing foreign carrier to operate routes in the north, including flights to and from Cairns, Townsville, Darwin, Broome and Port Hedland.
"The consequences of it haven’t been thought through at all by the government – this is ideology before commonsense. We would be the only country in the world to do it," Albanese said.
"At the moment it would be opening up the northern routes, but inevitably that would move to, ‘how about we fly from Darwin to Adelaide’? The idea that Qantas would be allowed to fly domestic routes in Europe or the US is just absurd."
The Transport Workers Union, which represents thousands of Australian ground staff at airports and both Qantas and Virgin Australia have lobbied against the proposal.
Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb said the matter was being carefully considered but no final decision has been made yet.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt