airlines

a twin-engined freight jet takes off from sydney airport

The US has open-skies agreements with more than 100 nations, Singapore has more than 60 nations. Australia has just seven.

Businesses like Virgin Australia have offered a number of incentives for customers, in an attempt to speed up the vaccine rollout in Australia. Photo: Shutterstock

While a second airline is valuable to provide competition for Qantas, a government bailout of Virgin is not desirable. 

Qantas grounds international fleet at Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney NSW.

The COVID-19 emergency has the potential to trigger the collapse of some airlines in Australia. But with its high ‘public good’ value, a future without Qantas is one we cannot afford, says Tim Harcourt.