Let’s get this really clear and take no notice of the rhetoric in much of the mainstream media that Emirates is the “bogey man”, by the Dubai based airline’s decision to stop flying to all its Australian airports except Perth.
Emirates is not at fault here, but the Australian Government is, by its ridiculous decision to have entry caps in the first place and then slashing the caps on Australian nationals arriving in the country, making Emirates’ and other airlines’ already economically non-viable flights, absolutely not viable, even taking into account they are carrying freight.
I imagine other overseas airlines, for example, Qatar, Etihad, Singapore, Cathay, etc., who have provided an amazingly valuable passenger and freight lifeline to Australia, while QANTAS simply stopped operating, will do the same and cancel their flights.
It is really simple, in that why would the Australian Government think that Emirates and others can and would fly aircraft to Australia with minimal and highly unprofitable loads, when the same Australian Government is subsidising the also privately owned QANTAS to provide a very limited repatriation service.
The caps make no sense, with I have for example, heard of Qatar aircraft flying to Australia from Doha with 25 passengers on board!
Whatever the media say though the Emirates decision will be temporary, with the game changer that will have to happen being when the Australian Government realises that it not only has a serious issue on its hands, with virtually no major airlines flying to Australia, but most importantly, it has a very serious and highly damaging constitutional crisis on its hands by not facilitating Australian nationals to be able to return to their home country, which is their indisputable right to do so and where they have a right to be.
The government needs to step up and do so quickly by providing sufficient flights and sufficient quarantine facilities for Aussies to get home and with the airlines that have so generously operated non-viable flights Australian routes, while our former national carrier QANTAS stopped operating flights unless heavily subsidised.
A report and opinion by John Alwyn-Jones
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