Qantas to remain locked out of Air New Zealand battle

Qantas will likely remain sidelined in the battle for a slice of Air New Zeland even if the latter''s ownership rules are relaxed

By Jim Regan

April 24, 2000

There appears to be some speculation Qantas will be able to buy a strategic stake in Air New Zealand ANZ if the latter's share ownership restrictions are relaxed. Those coming up with such talk appear to be forgetting ANZ will very soon fully own Ansett Australia AA, Australia's second carrier, and Qantas' control of its smaller rival would inevitably prove unacceptable to competition authorities.á

ANZ's ownership of AA does not preclude Qantas from buying ANZ, but it would complicate matters, says Chin Lim, analyst at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.á

Furthermore, it's hard to see how Qantas could get its hands on a sizeable stake in...

FinanceAsia has updated its subscription model.

Registered readers now have the opportunity to read 5 articles from our award-winning website for free.

To obtain unlimited access to our award-winning exclusive news and analysis, we offer subscription packages, including single user, team subscription (2-5 users), or office-wide licences.

To help you and your colleagues access our proprietary content, please contact us at [email protected], or +(852) 2122 5222