Etihad purchasing a stake in Alitalia was likely wonderful news for the Italian government. No longer would they have to bail out the airline, and no longer would they have to see their national carrier looking so shabby.

Etihad are, one could argue, owed a favour by the Italian government. Of course there are many reasons Etihad purchased Alitalia, but traffic through Italy isn't a strong enough reason.

Meanwhile, and remember the 'favour argument', over in The Netherlands, the government has refused to open up more slots for the ME3 airlines. The government want to protect their national airline, KLM, and that is perfectly admirable. QR are or course upset by the decision, as it has restricted them from taking advantage of another major European hub.

So, with the above in mind, let's play out a scenario.

I'm sat in the QR head office in Doha, and I've just seen the news from The Netherlands. There is no way to gain additional slots, so they need another focal point in mainland Europe. They look at Spain and the UK, but the hub airports are already well catered by other airlines within IAG. So, how about Germany? Well, QR have increased their flights already, and are putting on the a350s to compete against Lufthansa.

France? QR ran into legal difficulties with the French government last year, but hose have been resolved now. As such, flights to DOH will soon be departing from Nice...and who knows where next.

Italy? Well Etihad have bought Alitalia to put themselves on the European map (remember QR own 10% of BA and Iberia). What would happen if the Italian government cracked down on other ME3 conpetitors to ensure the smooth rise of Alitalia?

Well, one could consider that the Italian government might look to curb flights from Emirates and QR. With the French, Dutch, and potentially Italian governments all acting in a smiler manner, QR may begin to worry.

However, if QR own an airline in the country, they are a stakeholder in the political scene. They would not be as badly affected through route restrictions, as they would already own slots (through Meridiana).

It's a massive assumption I appreciate, but it could be more sensible than anyone would guess at the moment. Only time will tell.