Accusations by Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce last week that Australia's monopoly-owned major airports, Brisbane among them, were charging excessive landing fees, has reignited the call for an east-west air route push in regional Queensland.
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Rockhampton regional councillor and chairman of the Central Queensland Airport and Aerodrome Owners group Neil Fisher said Mr Joyce had "let the cat out of the bag" during his National Press Club address.
"He gave the story of what we all felt - the big three airports, their charges are the ones that are responsible for a lot of our fees and charges," Cr Fisher said.
"Following what he said, isn't it about time the airlines start understanding - why not work with regional centres first? Why should you have to fly from Longreach via Brisbane to Rockhampton to get health services?
"Let's start reducing those flights going into Brisbane, take them across to our regional centres so that Townsville airport, Cairns airport, Rockhampton airport are actually playing a major role in that distribution of passengers.
"That should have an impact on, if Alan Joyce is right, the charges that our residents are paying."
Among the findings researched by the airport group was that 39 people have to travel from Longreach to Rockhampton every week for medical reasons.
Regional rort claim
Regional Express Holdings deputy chairman John Sharp, a former federal transport minister, said recently that many country airports - typically owned by local councils - were abusing monopolies at the expense of regional economies.
Cr Fisher said one of the things that infuriated central Queensland councils that operated airports was that many of the councils were subsidising flights already.
"They don't make any money, they keep the airports open - it's the goodwill of the ratepayers that keeps keeps their airports operating," he said. "They don't break even. They are all local government owned so their airport fees and charges are all out there as a matter of public record."
That was backed up by Blackall-Tambo Regional Council mayor Andrew Martin - his council charges operator QantasLink a $16 landing fee per passenger, but when security provisions required under the Act were factored in, it cost shire ratepayers around $100 a passenger a year to operate the airport at Blackall.
"The more passengers we can put through here, the less it'll cost per passenger," he said.
"We can't put many more through here because it's only three flights per week and we don't have any flights from Rockhampton, or any other flights."
Queensland Airports Limited operates Longreach and Mount Isa airports and CEO Chris Mills said airport charges, which made up a small percentage of each airfare, allowed them to fund the upkeep of their facilities.
"Airport charges...allow us to fund the upkeep of our facilities, pay our staff to keep the terminal open day and night, and pay for all the additional equipment required under the federal government's new security screening requirements," he said.
Australian Airports Association chief executive officer Caroline Wilkie said the senate committee report released this year found regional airport charges only made up a small portion of airfares, consistent with the Productivity Commission's draft findings and the conclusions of a WA government inquiry into regional airfares.
Ms Wilkie said three quarters of regional airports surveyed by the AAA said their real airport charges had stayed the same or reduced over a five-year period.
"Many regional airports have told us they continue to face pressure from airlines to further reduce their charges even as these airports face persistent budget deficits and rising costs of compliance," Ms Wilkie said.
"It's disappointing our biggest, most profitable airline thinks squeezing an extra dollar out of struggling regional airports is the solution, while they continue to charge local residents 'discount fares' as high as $800."