The US has open-skies agreements with more than 100 nations, Singapore has more than 60 nations. Australia has just seven.
While a second airline is valuable to provide competition for Qantas, a government bailout of Virgin is not desirable.
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.
