A WELCOMING party will gather at Armidale Airport on Friday afternoon to celebrate the return of Rex Airways.
The regional air service returns to Armidale after previously flying the return route to Sydney from 2004 to 2006.
Armidale Dumaresq Council mayor Laurie Bishop and Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall will join other dignitaries at the airport on Friday for the official welcome.
Meanwhile, the council has made a submission to the NSW Government’s inquiry into regional air services.
Aircraft slot allocation constraints at Sydney Airport and the effect it had on regional development were some of the key issues the council raised in its submission.
The council argued that the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act of 1997, which manages slot allocation, made it hard for regional travellers and air service operators.
The Act was established when aircraft noise was a strong social issue and it was designed to manage aircraft noise around the airport and lessen the broader environmental impacts.
“The Act governing slot allocation is impacting on regional development in cities like Armidale,” council’s acting general manager Glenn Inglis said.
“The State and Federal Governments need to look at easing the current limitation constraints before the construction of a new airport in Sydney.
“At the moment there are no slots available in the morning or evening peak periods and any new slots are given preference to international services.
“This makes it vary hard for new entrants to establish themselves in regional markets.”
