OPINION: I'll say this before I scare the bejesus out of you - Air New Zealand is safe.
Air New Zealand is way too big to fail; too critical, too important.
Basically, it can downsize but the Government will never allow the national airline to fail.
Not now, not ever.
But sadly the guts have been ripped from the company; 4000 staff have gone already and more are likely to go as COVID-19 continues to bite the backside of airlines.
All sorts of experienced and smart staff have gone.
And in charge of it all is former Walmart boss and Kiwi Greg Foran.
There are grumblings on the shop floor he's ruining the culture and that he's bringing Walmart to Air New Zealand.
Well, when thousands of loyal staff are let go of course culture is tested.
But did he have a choice? No.
The truth is, Air New Zealand is shrinking fast; half-billion-dollar profits have been replaced by half-billion-dollar losses.
So, what's the outlook?
I think more transparency is needed; taxpayers deserve to know what's going on because we have bailed Air New Zealand. out before.
Our airline, our money, - now it's time to tell us the truth. No spin, no tricks, no PR gloss, just the cold hard facts.
COVID-19 is lingering and Air New Zealand is now a domestic airline with cargo routes overseas.
But what does Air New Zealand look like in two, five, or 10 years?
Can a skeleton crew bring it back to what it was, or will it be a race to the bottom with the discount airlines?
Duncan Garner hosts The AM Show.
