Robert Inglis
"Since we have had to face a state-funded competitor it has challenged us and we have had to restructure the business
Haven't we heard this all before.
Sure Air New Zealand has the government as a major shareholder. However the events that lead up to Aunty H taking a share holding were in no small way due to government interference and ineptitude. The government had a duty to help rectify the situation.
Previous governments stood by and allowed a foreign own airline operate in New Zealand (Ansett) while the same priviledges were not allowed for Air New Zealand to operate in Australia, even though both countries had signed an open skies agreement. I believe that this was the starting point of the Ansett Australia debacle since the only way into Australia for Air New Zealand was a shareholding in an Australian airline
The present government muddied the waters when Air New Zealand was seeking approval for Singapore Airlines to take a shareholding after the Ansett debacle and Sept 11, effectively driving Singapore away.
I don't see the government shareholding as state funding, Air New Zealand is not continually going back asking for more money.
Robert Inglis got lucky the first time around with Air Nelson. His small provincial airline grew rapidly to what it is today due to Air New Zealand spinning off its provincial routes and the fact that he had some buddies on the Air NZ board who saw that he got some of the better routes. He hasn't been so lucky this time
I'm all for competition but I wish we were spared the same old excuses when he is not doing well, and he cannot blame this on the fact that the government has a shareholding in Air NZ