Facts Please On Airline Deal Says Peters

New Zealand First says the Government, Air New Zealand and Qantas have still not released enough information to enable a decision to be made on whether the Australian airline should take a stake in the local carrier.

Air New Zealand and Qantas have won conditional Government approval to form a strategic alliance through Qantas taking a 22.5 percent stake in its smaller trans-Tasman rival.

Rt Hon Winston Peters said today that few new details had been released about the proposed transaction and it would be up to the next stage - consideration by competition watchdogs in New Zealand and Australia - to examine the deal in the public interest.

“We are generally opposed to selling state assets, but this deal is under our 24.9 percent criteria, and unlike other parties desperate for a headline, we don’t make decisions until we know all the facts,” said Mr Peters.

© Scoop Media