Hopefully this will be the end of Malaysia Airlines, with it suicidal kamikaze pilots, killing Australians and other non-Malaysian passengers.

One consolation: Chinese airlines have dropped 85% of business and over $20 billion to date. Their economy overall is not that flash at the moment, signalling that we will need to be looking elsewhere to replace the third of our exports that some people are worried about. We now have economic as well as security reasons to given the Commos the flick.

Probably very temporary, and remedied by an increased uptake in freight some of which could be refrigerated and supported by altitude, and some aeration in transit?

Or replaced by electrification and rapid rail with connecting submersible, nuclear powered, roll on roll off, fast ferries taking whole, Destination embedded Customs examined and guaranteed by them, sealed (welded) shut, trains? All the drug dog and Xray examination could be concluding before loading were allowed? And from secure loading portals. And allow fresh food exports expansion, via that more secure loading model?

This combined and connected transport model could quite massively reduce handling and with that, opportunities for contraband/drug smuggling etc-etc!

And given that connected surface freight forwarding model replaces aircraft? Could quite massively reduce delivery and turnaround times?

In any event, that could be a good outcome for the climate and international trade?
Alan B.

ttbn,

It's good that you touched on the point about the impact that the pandemic is going to have on China.

I reckon it is going to put China back about 60 years and I can't see it ever becoming a major economic powerhouse again as especially Western nations begin to restructure their economies and trading arrangements to become largely independent on supplies of manufactures from China.

I don't think Chinese is going to be the flavour of the month post-pandemic. Especially if it's Wuhan Bat Soup, with or without COVID-19!

Mr. O,

Gordon Chang predicted in 2001 that China could collapse within the decade. The rot became obvious to the world with the virus in November 2019, but the CCP was hiding real problems well before that. Eight months to the end of the decade. Here's hoping!

Game set and match for environmentalists.

The pandemic has been a blessing for them. Many polluting industries are staggering, airlines. Vehicle and factory emissions plumiting. Fresh air appears from nowhere as a consequence. CO2 levels will fall. We head towards a perfect world. Thank you little Covid -19 virus.

Dan

The Chinese will be pragmatic and either lead us out of this total mess or push us deeper into it. They will start up their economy, employ people and get business moving. People will die but how many and how fast? I cannot believe the massive own goal delivered by our idiot leaders, they all have to go! We are heading towards the Depression they have all contributed too. This is our fourth major pandemic in 100 years 1918, 1957, 1968 and now this. Previously millions died and yet my memory is no cringing cowardice and surrender to sleazy medical operators and minor officialdom exerting the power they have always dreamed of! They strut around accepting no responsibility and just posturing for the TV. People are already sick of it and will be very angry when they realise how they have been so well and truly had! Roll on that day!

JBowyer
> This is our fourth major pandemic in 100 years 1918, 1957, 1968 and now this.
That's obviously wrong because 1918 was more than 100 years ago!
What happened in 1957 and 1968?

Aiden I used 100 as easier than 102, OK? 1957 1.1 million people died worldwide and 1 million in 1968. Before you start nit picking I had two cousins 19 & 21 died in 1919, my brother suffered the 1957 flu and my Mother and Sister caught it in 1968. My Mother subsequently died. This is just to blunt any sarcasm you think you can use. These statistics, personal as they are, show how we all don't catch it and it dosen't kill everybody. They cannot be sure about the 1918 Flu but estimates are 50 to 100 million mainly healthy fit adults, more than killed in all the wars that century. No grandstanding sleazy Public Servants bossing us about and expecting bonuses for doing it. The NSW Fire Chief (Did you see his Goring look alight ceremonial uniform?) is now heading up another white elephant disaster organisation that will bankrupt us!

JBowyer,
I have no intention of being sarcastic, but flu vaccines are available and AIUI they were available in the 1950s and 60s. We don't yet have any vaccine available for this coronavirus so we're having to rely on quarantine. Having tens of thousands of people die from it is not an acceptable alternative.

There are thousands of aircraft parked up in storage.
I understand that most aircraft are leased. The leasing companies must be
looking at the future with horror.
They will insist on payment and may well push the airlines into bankruptcy.
If they don't then the banks will push the leasing companies into bankruptcy.
Then there are banks owning lots of aircraft eating their heads off.
After this is over there should be a lot of cheap aircraft available.
But perhaps not many airlines.

@diver dan

Too right mate. Its a blessing.

Civilian jet aircraft are some of the biggest hydrocarbon emitters.

The global plunge in greenhouse gas emissions is making actual achievement of Paris climate targets a reality.

And as we come up to Easter, crucifixion and all, always look on the bright side of life.

Hit it Monty Python http://youtu.be/SJUhlRoBL8M

Aiden if there were any flu vaccines available they were not available to the ordinary public. My older brother was stationed in the British Army in Germany during 1968 and they certainly didn't offer any? The vast majority of people handle this virus better than the flu. No one I know said the flu was "very mild" but they were very sick for weeks. The latest MSM lie is a man in his fifties died so it is not just affecting old people. Then, he did have diabetes which can be a very serious disease on its own, more nonsense from all the usual subjects. We will rue the day we allowed this emergency nonsense to be foisted on us and we will certainly be paying for it for the next fifty years. Celebrate with your Extinction Rebellion mates but you will suffer along with the rest of us.

Those damned mosquitos from The Climate change cult... they never get the COVID-19/96gg Great borne killer virus... even at times like this, they can't give it a rest... Yes Aidan, you do have all the 15characteristics of psychologists check list... In this "Scary New World" see https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=20824

Go on admit it you and 'yer muckers' in the CCC (KKK?) have a problem.. its about time you did so, join a group, confess and make those 12 steps back to Climate Reality.. and then you can be like me,, that pig-ignorant, senile old tart a climate realist!

Alison Jane,
No matter how much flat earthers label their opponents as the RWC (round world cult) and tell them to embrace geographic reality, those who understand the evidence won't ignore the actual reality!

So too with climate change. You have a similarly illogical position which you refuse to debate, and now you're repeating accusations even though I've explained why they're false (even though you didn't dispute any of that explanation).

I'm sure you're capable of thinking - it's time to start doing so again! Abandon your hypocrisy, embrace Ockham's Razor (and preferably Hanlon's Razor too) and accept that assertions do not amount to evidence!

Meanwhile, COVID19 is a tragedy. But not a Greek tragedy: more like a Shakespearean tragedy; it does have some good effects.