Given the aircraft was new, Sydney-based aviation expert Tom Ballantyne said a technical or mechanical problem seems unlikely.

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"Laws covering employment and particularly discrimination tend to be less rigid in Asia, " agrees Tom Ballantyne, aviation expert and chief correspondent for Hong Kong-based "Orient Aviation" magazine.

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Tom Ballantyne of the Orient Aviation Magazine in Sydney told the BBC's World Business Report he believes it is unlikely those parties who had previously expressed an interest in Ansett would renew their interest.

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