Originally Posted by
Blue Skies
Theres no way any NZ Govt would not ensure we have a national carrier & were left at the whim of foreign carriers, at least partially due to our geographical position.
Generally speaking, NZ is an end of the line destination, i.e. with the odd exception, we are not on the way to anywhere, so we are not used as a connection point or a Hub by airlines, such as many countries in Asia, Europe, & places in N America.
The whole tourism industry & our exports esp of fresh produce would be vulnerable to decisions we had no control over.
Aside from that, its in the whole countries best interests to ensure we have a reliable national domestic carrier which can feed off both international arrivals & domestic travel & freight, serving much of the country.
Can't imagine too many foreign owned carriers serving places like Invercargill, Blenheim or Gisborne.