Skipness.
1) Not disputing LHR being a significant profit centre for CX and indeed using the 80% trick emphasises their desire to maintain that by removing excess Y capacity via applying pre-planned non-ops across their timetable (Achievable with a sufficiently large daily slot holding)- Yet retaining a valuable asset
2) Also not disputed that Swire (and possibly Air China in the back ground) are hardly buddies with the Watership down crew.
3) I am not sure if they have a lease or have actually acquired the slot rights from NZ - this would make a difference in the event NZ wanted them back wouldn't it ?
The demographics and population density are reflected in the market behaviour, you are mixing up cause with effect.
Likely yes but still its distorted.
assume they each have seven ME3 flights each say, two with A380s to fill? They have a direct service as the don't have non-commercially driven capacity dumping to the same extent. (QR and EY)
Munich will go two daily 388 EK from spring Etihad use the three class 333 twice daily Qatar twice daily 788 AND they have that fourth carrier from the region Oman 3 weekly.
Barcelona has Qatar and Emirates with Royal Jordanian however not yet Etihad
And Vienna well they have a national airline going East already !