| Associated
Press February 28, 2006 SINGAPORE A Singaporean lawmaker attacked Australia's decision to deny the city-state's flag carrier access to the lucrative Sydney-to-Los Angeles route, saying the move was unfair. The Australian government last week rejected Singapore Airlines Ltd's application to fly the trans-Pacific route, saying it would only bring minor benefits to the Australian tourism industry and could have a negative impact on the economy. Tan Soo Khoon, a member of parliament representing the East Coast electoral district, said "Singaporeans are angry with the outcome." "For a long time, (Australia's) position dangled between reticence to giving us an occasional dash of hope," he said, according to a Channel NewsAsia report late Tuesday. "They led us on a ten-year run-around," he said. Singapore has said the city-state granted traffic rights to Australian carriers that have allowed them to expand their operations. Referring to Singapore's moniker, "Lion City", Tan said "the Singapore lion was simply outfoxed by the wily Australian kangaroo. Maybe we were not canny enough." Tan said Australia's decision boiled down to wanting to unfairly protect Qantas Airways Ltd. from competition. Singapore Airlines has been seeking access to the route for a decade. |
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