Regional QLD airports in fight for survival as COVID cuts passenger numbers
Regional communities face being cut off amid warnings air routes are in danger of becoming unviable as airports in some centres lose as much as $50,000 a week in the face of COVID-19.
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Queensland’s regional airports are in a fight for survival, as they run at a loss for months on end and see reductions in passengers of up to 99 per cent at times.
The stark impact of the international and state lockdowns have been laid bare and lead to calls for support to keep council-run airlines running or risk disruption to critical services like Royal Flying Doctors and emergency services.
Meanwhile the Gold Coast Airport, once the nation’s six busiest, is pleading for a national COVID hotspot approach and “realistic” trigger for border restrictions after more than 95 per cent of its passenger traffic or 3 million people was wiped out.
Australian Airports Association boss James Goodwin said 70 per cent of council-owned airports in regional Queensland were running at a loss, losing up to $50,000 a week.
“They stay open because their local communities rely on them as an essential service, linking them to larger cities,” he said.
“Many of these regional routes are in danger of becoming commercially unviable for airlines to continue operating.”
Council-run airports do not qualify for JobKeeper wage subsidies.
Mr Goodwin urged the state LNP and Labor parties to guarantee Queensland’s regional aviation network and consider an “AvKeeper” program to keep airport staff employed.
Queensland Airport’s boss Chris Mills said Gold Coast Airport was able to access JobKeeper, but had lost 99.7 per cent of its passengers in April, while its passenger numbers in September were still down 96 per cent.
Mr Mills said there needed to be transparency and consistency around a national approach to border controls.
“My concern is whenever and whatever borders reopen, we’re still not clear on if they will shut again,” he said.
“We don’t want travellers thinking about making bookings, but then borders shut again in a months time if seven cases pop up in Sydney.
“There’s no magic wand, we have to deal with cases popping up around different parts of Australia. We can’t rely on the blunt approach of border closures.”
The Federal Government has been promoting a national hotspot approach of a three-day national average of 10 cases or more, while Queensland is sticking to a 28-day period without any community transmission before lifting closures.
Cairns Airport head of aviation Garry Porter said while the number of travellers passing through the airport was up in September, it was still just 31 per cent of its usual traffic for that time of year.
“We look forward to the opening of borders as outlined by the Queensland government and welcoming more travellers to the region as border restrictions ease,” he said.
