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Rumblings in Govt spell trouble for Qantas
Several senior Liberal politicians are openly canvassing the need for greater competition in the Australian skies, further antagonising an already nervous Qantas.
As Emirates and Singapore Airlines continue their well orchestrated push for greater access to coveted routes, a growing number of coalition MP’s are questioning whether maintaining the status quo is actually harming Australia’s Tourism industry and costing travellers.
Federal Government sources say Transport Minister Warren Truss is supporting the push.
“Warren Truss is a completely different kettle of fish to his predecessor, John Anderson,” said one government source.
“It is also very important to remember that the new National Party leader, Mark Vaile, has in the past been one of the biggest sceptics when it comes to Qantas’ claims that they would be crippled if Singapore Airlines and Emirates were granted more flying rights in Australia.”
While Qantas argues that both Emirates and Singapore have an unfair advantage with Government subsidies, many believe it’s time to open the skies.
West Australian MP Geoff Prosser, said he hoped Singapore Airlines and Emirates would be allowed to do more here.
“It’s well and truly high time they are given more access,” he said. “I think we should have greater competition on the Pacific route. Air fares are higher than they should be and with greater competition we will get more business people into Australia (and) more tourists …”
Another WA Liberal MP, Michael Keenan, said: “Protecting Qantas from international competition comes at a high cost for Australian businesses that rely on tourism for their livelihood. Restricting flights in and out of Australia, as well as restricting international carriers from carrying passengers on domestic routes, obviously means more expensive air fares and less tourism.”
Clearly Qantas has an identity problem in the West.
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