Inverell Air Service Working Group, who have been pushing for flights to return to town, held a teleconference with Fly Corporate and Fly Pelican on Monday morning. While he admitted that it was very early days, organiser Neil Eigeland was pleased to see the dialogue begin.

“It’s still a work in progress,” he said. “It’s good that we’re talking”. 

The group have also been in contact with Qantas, Virgin Australia and Regional Express Airlines (Rex), but Neil believed that smaller carriers were the most realistic option for regional communities.

In Monday’s meeting, the group talked about the results of their survey last year, which indicated local preferences for flight frequency, passenger numbers, ticket prices and scheduling. Neil said the airlines had a solid understanding of these concerns.

“There’s lots of issues to be resolved. It’s obviously easier to get to Brisbane because it’s got more availability than Sydney,” he said.

Neil believes that an air service could have endless positives for Inverell, including improved access to medical professionals and business partners. He referred to a Sydney University paper which indicated that a working airport could result in an increase in local government income due to the availability of services. He said the Chamber of Commerce were supportive of the initiative.

“We know that some of the businesses have overseas executives plane into Brisbane and then have to spend five or six hours driving to Inverell, which is the long haul after an international flight,” he said.

Inverell is not the only shire in the area vying for air service, with Narrabri still hoping for coveted Sydney slots after successfully launching a Brisbane service via Moree through Fly Corporate last year.

“We’d certainly support other local communities having their service,” Neil said. He said there had been proposals for Sydney-Narrabri-Inverell flights in the past.

“Come up with the right idea or proposal and it can be an advantage.”

Neil said the best way the community could support the group was by backing their proposals. He noted that airlines needed to have confidence in strong passenger numbers. 

To learn more, visit the group’s Facebook page.