No joy for Singapore Airlines in white paper
CANBERRA – Australia’s major airlines welcomed the federal government’s aviation white paper yesterday – and well they might.
The policy-setting document kept most of the fifth freedom restrictions on foreign airlines operating from Australia while encouraging overseas carriers to operate through secondary airports such as Broome, Darwin and Cairns.
The white paper gave little encouragement to Singapore Airlines and its desire to fly from Australia to the United States.
It said access to the trans-Pacific route was one of the ”few valuable rights we have available to trade” because the country was at the end of the world.
”We need to maximise what negotiating leverage we do have,” it said.
The government will not remove the overall 49 percent cap on foreign ownership of Qantas – although it may allow greater foreign ownership of “other” Australian international airlines.
Business Spectator’s Stephen Bartholomeusz wrote, “A more prosaic reason for maintaining the cap is to protect Qantas’ international routes.
“One of the many peculiarities of the international aviation industry, and a major obstacle to sensible rationalisation, is that bi-lateral access to routes is negotiated by governments.
“The overall cap protects Qantas’ national carrier status and therefore its role in those bi-lateral agreements.â€
Ian Jarrett
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
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
AirlineRatings reveals world's safest airline rankings for 2026
Vietnam warns airlines of possible flight reductions amid jet fuel shortages
Fliggy opens AI-powered travel bookings and developer tools