Ian Verrender

So while they've got some insurance in there to mitigate the higher prices, the higher fuel prices, it's only covering the price of oil.

It's not covering that huge increase in the price of jet fuel.

Some of the airline people are talking in that kind of, yeah, they're using that kind of language.

You know, I mean, jet fuel stocks are very low.

And there's a reason why, you know, the prices are so high here as well, because it's, you know, essentially running short.

You know, and look, this is a big continent.

With a smallish population, we do rely upon airline travel to get around, to transport smaller goods and so forth around the country.

So this is quite a critical bit of infrastructure for Australia.

Well, you know, as we were talking about earlier, airlines are always ready and willing to have their hand out to accept a bit of taxpayer relief, aren't they?

Just look back at the pandemic where Qantas got about, what, $2.5 billion of taxpayer money.

So, yes, they'd be looking to have some kind of government support, I'm sure.

Would the government do it?

Well, we've had that IMF meeting and report out overnight, and the IMF is essentially saying to governments, and particularly the Australian government, be careful about giving taxpayer relief because all you're going to do is confuse the price signals here.

Prices have gone up because there's a shortage, and you want to make sure that people are aware of that shortage and behave accordingly.

If this blockade continues, yeah, absolutely, I think.

So Qantas has mitigated some of this, I guess, issue by trying to capitalise on the fact that the three Middle East carriers, Qatar, Emirates and Etihad, are

kind of out of action.

So they're flying to Europe via Singapore and via Perth, and they're trying to get resources.

They've moved aircraft out of America and into Australia to try and pick up on that market there.

And they've raised prices on international flights as well.