The Australian Government has again turned down a request for Singapore International Airlines (SIA) to be given rights to fly onwards from Sydney to Los Angeles. Qantas opposed the move, saying it would hit earnings. In a parallel development, Australia’s trade minister Mark Vaile suggested that Canberra would not block a SIA-Qantas merger, saying “that was the direction that international aviation is going”. Both carriers denied there were any such merger plans.
Source: Airline Business