Hacker News Reader

Comment by gumby | Hacker News Reader

Curious what you mean by “national importance?” Do you mean ego/national pride, or that without a state provided carrier there would be no flights (unlikely for a Germany or Belgium, but possible for, say, the Marshall Islands or Togo)? Or that there is some sort of treaty-mandated interlink that requires a designated flag carrier (I know this last case was true decades ago, but I’m not sure the US even has one any more)?

View on HN

Well, a country with a decent population size and a decent economy has to rely on air transport. Just now many countries flew out their citizens for example.

As far as I know, Lufthansa, like some other airlines, have a government owned golden share. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_share

In fact, if I remember right, an EU based airline is not even allowed to be owned by more than 50% of non EU share holders.

FWIW Australia is coordinating flights via foreign airlines in addition to QANTAS. In fact United is running more flights to AUS than QANTAS.

LH’s golden share was sold off in the 1990s (that’s in the article).

It's about control. During bad time like this Covid time, to haul cargo of national importance like masks or ventilators, passenger airline can be used if military one proves insufficient.

And how many countries will allow others military cargo planes in their border?

> And how many countries will allow others military cargo planes in their border?

In practice: most, including the US. How do you think that Russian aid was delivered last month? Not on a commercial flight.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com