As the financial torment calms, Australia's aviation industry is getting ready for war.

The battle was spelt out when Qantas (ASX:QAN), in a moment of wonderful public relations pettiness, parked their A380 super jumbo next to the one owned by Singapore Airlines just as the Singapore jumbo was to be unveiled at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday morning.

Singapore has been busy for the past two years reminding anyone who would listen it was first to fly the biggest passenger plane ever, the A380.

Qantas would have loved to have that weapon in their PR kit, but alas the flying kangaroo has looked more like a limping wallaby of late.

Figures released by the Australian government this week show the airline's share of international flights to and from Australia falling to 20.6 per cent from a very strong 42.7 per cent of the market 15 years ago.

An aggressive price battle on the trans-Pacific route and pesky low-cost carriers are hurting Qantas, along with bruises from fuel costs and the drop in business travel resulting from the global financial crisis.