Should normal commercial considerations apply immediately post pandemic ? No, but each route has to go some way towards earning its keep...
See post #534 -
investment "won’t come on a bus, it will come through our airport terminal."
The MME project isn't about airlines making profits - it's about promoting the region and facilitating investment, so fare levels and passenger numbers are irrelevant for the time being. It could just take one passenger on one flight for the project to pay off, so I doubt whether many backward steps will be taken before next years election. I don't think Eastern are carrying much commercial risk.