Mr Westaway said the federal inquiries provide a rare opportunity to take a system-wide view of regional aviation. “If we want affordable, reliable air services for regional Australia, we need to ensure airports are financially viable and appropriately supported to deliver the services communities rely on,” he said. The MOU will see RCA work with AAA on opportunities to identify and progress shared research, policy and advocacy priorities. “This year’s federal inquiries will be critical to deeply understanding not only these factors, but the enabling role airports and fair fares play in terms of liveability, service delivery, jobs and skills and resilience of our regions,” Cr Black said. “We need a strong voice to ensure the viability of regional aviation so that the millions of Australians living beyond the state capitals, both today and those in the future, have equitable access to air travel and the liveability it enables,” Cr Black said. RCA and the AAA will continue to highlight to government the need to: • take further action to secure the ongoing viability of regional aviation routes; • establish recurrent federal funding for both capital and operational security costs of regional airports; and • resolve inequitable security requirements that impose city-level costs on low-risk regional airports. 10 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 08, ISSUE 02
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx