What will be the cost for this short term gain? To Australia
We will be left with a small third party aircraft maintenance industry, but then we won't have an oil refining industry, a steel processing industry, a garment manufacturing industry... just mining... dig it up and ship it out
International might survive a little longer, but ultimately if we thought the Middle East airlines were tough to compete against, wait till the Chinese get really going - competing connections to both Europe and the US
Will passengers be happy to know that the aircraft they fly internationally on are not maintained in house?
The problem is 82% (per Joyce) and growing are quite happy to pay cheaper fares and fly on someone other than Qantas, someone who gets maintenance done outside Australia