WHO IS TO BLAME !!
I'm sure this topic will generate a lot of controversy. The blame for this fiasco with Air New Zealand and Ansett must clearly be laid on the shoulders of the dithering New Zealand Government. ANZ had a brilliant strategy in place buying AN. ANZ could have placed itself in a very strong position with AN feed into it's expanding International services. 25% shareholder SQ would have taken a good slice of the pie also.
Most Countries have their own International Airlines. Most Countries have now privatised these Corporations, with a nasty clause in their Articles of Association. No foreign ownership above a certain percentage. Why not. Anyone from any Country can buy land,a corporation, an airline in the U.S. No one loses. Taxes are paid, employment levels are high. So the profit goes overseas. It doesn't seem to affect the largest economy in the world.
Governments do not have the expertise and professionals to run private enterprise. A lot of Governments do not have the expertise to run their own Countries, as we've now seen in New Zealand.
Had the N.Z. Government allowed decisions of the professionals at ANZ to prevail, a large force in Australian and New Zealand aviation would have been forged with SQ, and entered the world market.
Qantas is very aware of this problem as it's expansion ambitions are seriously hampered by foreign ownership regulations.
It is a sad day for aviation in Australia, especially for our colleagues at AN. Hold in there guys, all is not lost yet.