indirectly shields the red tail from foreign threat or influence.
That’s a curious notion.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but do government policies not allow a 100% foreign owned airline to come and set up shop in Australia and directly compete in the domestic market?
Indeed, has the Australian government intervened to stop numerous, foreign government owned entities from purchasing and then pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into a particular airline to directly fund its advance into the market previously held by ‘the red tail’?
If that is an attempt to ‘shield the red tail from foreign threat’ then they are doing a lousy job of it.