I'm pretty sure 'low cost' carriers are now at a crossroad. With only two major manufacturers building anything worthwhile and one of those struggling to meet orders the cost of aircraft is going to jump significantly over the coming years without significant government subsidies. No one wants to get into the commercial aircraft scene because airlines have screwed the contracts down so far that it's uneconomical and the big players set the conditions. There's a lot more cash in military contracts which is where BAE and SAAB went, and Boeing as well. Second, just like the aircraft manufacturers and suppliers, pilots have also been screwed to the point it's no longer a job of romance or choice, long hours away, mediocre contracts. The industry has cannibalized itself into a corner that is going to cost a lot to dig out from. So whatever expansion the airlines want is completely held back by their own mistakes of the past. Australia is just a few years behind the US where the regionals failed spectacularly over a few short years because of their antiquate methods and contracts.