Half-price flights aimed to boost Australia’s ailing tourism

Australia’s government will subsidize 800,000 half-price airfares as part of a A$1.2b ($920m) package to prop up the nation’s ailing tourism industry. Stocks in the nation’s aviation and travel industries jumped. To run from April 1 to July 31, the discounted fares are designed to help tourism-dependent regions and should support airlines, hotels and hospitality venues, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. The package also includes further support for the international aviation industry, and will expand a government-backed loan program to small and medium-sized businesses. The subsidized tickets program “means more jobs and investment for the tourism and aviation sectors as Australia heads towards winning our fight against Covid-19 and the restrictions that have hurt so many businesses,” Morrison said. Australia’s domestic and international aviation industry has been badly damaged by the pandemic, even as the nation has managed to restrict the waves of infections that have roiled Europe and the US. While the government has provided billions in direct economic stimulus to help keep the economy afloat, it sees the need to deliver additional support as programs such as JobKeeper -- which subsidizes businesses to keep employees -- wind down at the end of the month.<br/>