Did the Aussies really say they had no interest in Manchester, it would be highly unlikely surely that someone would invest a billion pounds and only have an interest in part of that group. Manchester provides a significant %age of the group revenues I am sure that was equally attractive to them. However we shall wait and see who is correct.
Initially my thoughts were also I hope they go with the Abu Dhabi investors, but after further thought I wonder if they didn't as they were concerned the choice of a major partner with a significant interest in one single airline may have been off-putting to other airlines who have shown significant commitment to Manchester from the same region, if not elsewhere.