CONNECTIVITY is crucial to the health of any regional town.
But it’s particularly vital to places like Sunraysia, which, as we all know, is miles from anywhere.
The announcement this week that QantasLink is opening up a Mildura-Sydney route is a massive win for the region.
It’s significant not just for its tourism potential, but in providing locals with affordable and quick access to more of Australia.
Isolation is a reality in this part of the world, so those options need to be available and financially achievable for people.
Without them, this becomes a less attractive place to call home.
Rex Airlines pulled the pin on its Sydney route last year, but for many locals, the costs of Rex’s Sydney flights were prohibitive anyway.
And that needs to be the message for QantasLink: keep the fares affordable.
QantasLink announced it will offer special fares of $179 one-way between Mildura and Sydney, for select travel dates from March 29, 2020, to October 25, 2020.
That is reasonable pricing.
But if those flight costs start jumping up much beyond $200 one-way, then it is again going to put it out of reach for many.
For a region that is denied a passenger train, it would be great to see the government subsidise flights to our major cities, as once the Sydney flight takes off, we will again be connected to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
But given that pigs might fly before we receive any sort of government assistance, we need to place faith in the airlines keeping their costs down.
QantasLink will operate flights four days per week between Sydney and Mildura with its 74-seat Q400 turboprop aircraft, offering more than 30,000 seats each year.
The new service will be the only direct connection between Sydney and Mildura, saving travellers about two hours compared to flying via Melbourne.
The launch of the new route follows the success of QantasLink’s Bendigo-Sydney route, which took off in April of this year.
QantasLink chief John Gissing said these routes were estimated to inject more than $3 million into the local economies in Mildura and Bendigo.
“We know the value of connecting country cities and we’re proud to be connecting the Sunraysia region to Sydney once again,” he said.
“Mildura has a rich history and is home to some of Australia’s finest produce and wineries and we know it will be a popular destination for holidaymakers as well.”
That messaging is positive for the region. QantasLink has also vowed to work together with Mildura Rural City Council to promote the greater Mildura region as a destination to visit.
The marketing component will be crucial, but again, it will rely heavily on those flight costs remaining low.
We have a busy little airport that already handles more than 250,000 passengers a year.
It’s big business and critical to the survival and growth of a region that has so much to offer.
QantasLink deserves credit for recognising this and putting us back on the map with the huge Sydney market.
We look forward to the route taking off and becoming a permanent link between Mildura and Australia’s biggest city.
