Amidst the ongoing debate and selective leaking of information to the media from both the Federal and New South Wales Governments about future plans for aviation in Sydney and New South Wales, the Tourism Industry Council NSW “echoes calls for regional flights to continue to have access to Australia’s international gateway”, General Manager Andrew Jefferies has said.

Sydney Airport is the gateway to Australia and the entry and exit point for well over 40% of our nation’s international arrivals and departures. At the Domestic end, twelve major interstate routes out of Sydney account for 40% of the total domestic passenger traffic market.

In order to service our state’s major hub, regional carriers such as Qantaslink and Regional Express need to efficiently service the nation’s major air traffic hub with frequent and direct air services linking the major towns and growth centres of regional New South Wales. It therefore goes without saying that the bulk of regional airline traffic is either business related or connecting to interstate or overseas flights and “any suggestion to shift these operations away from Sydney Airport is short sighted and detrimental to economic growth”, Mr Jefferies said.

Whilst the Council is supportive of freeing up operations at Sydney Airport with the relaxation of the onerous and legislated curfew restrictions and movement caps, “we fully support calls from regional airlines, politicians and Local Government Area’s to ensure that regional airlines continue to have access to the nation’s major gateway”, he said.

“Even if a second airport in the Sydney Basin is constructed or developed as part of the solution for aviation access in New South Wales, regional airlines must continue to have guaranteed access to Sydney Airport. The potential loss of business for airlines and communities in regional centres across our state would simply reinforce the perception that Sydney is too difficult to travel to. Any negative perceptions would be detrimental to the economic fortunes of Sydney and the New South Wales economy as a whole.”

The Chairman of the South Coast Regional Tourism Organisation, Tourism Industry Council NSW Director and Eurobodalla Shire Councillor Rob Pollock stressed “the importance of same day travel opportunities for regional communities, particularly those employed in the medical, legal and government fraternities”. Clr Pollock said that “the fabric of regional communities across New South Wales would be damaged if same day access to Sydney was removed”.