Qantas closures threaten ‘lifeline’ in rural Australia
Rural Australians fear the closure of three regional Qantas bases will impact access to health, education and business, but the airline insists it is committed to supporting forests.
QantasLink announced that its bases in Canberra, Hobart and Mildura would close from April 2026, shortly after Rex went into voluntary administration and budget airline Bonza collapsed.
Managers of Flying Kangaroo’s regional operation will hear a Senate inquiry on Friday examining the reliability and affordability of aviation services in rural Australia.
A presentation from Mildura Rural City Council said the airport was a critical link to regional hubs in Victoria, NSW and South Australia.
Passengers were concerned that the closure of the base would limit access to reliable air travel from the town, 550km northwest of Melbourne.
“This is a lifeline for our community, supporting economic activity, access to health, education and social connection,” the council’s presentation said.
The council also warned that QantasLink’s exit also had the potential to deter investment in the region.
“When confidence in air connectivity erodes, the entire regional economy suffers.”
Approximately 70 staff at three bases will be affected by the closures, including 31 cabin crew.
The Australian Association of Flight Attendants’ presentation said QantasLink did not initially offer redundancy packages because staff could take jobs in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
But many of the employees had lived in and around Canberra, Mildura or Hobart for a long time, had their own homes, had caring responsibilities or had spouses who managed local businesses.
“The decision is a commercial decision by Qantas with heavy human costs,” the union’s statement said.
“It treats loyal, long-serving regional staff as alienable assets and ignores the complex web of family, economic and social ties that bind them to their communities.”
Staff have since been offered various financial packages, including redundancies and commuting or relocation funding.
In QantasLink CEO Rachel Yangoyan’s statement regarding the investigation, it was stated that Australia is not the only country that has problems with regional airlines.
The cost of running regional services was higher per seat than metro routes; airport fees, fuel and maintenance costs were more expensive.
But Ms Yangoyan said aircraft upgrades meant hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in the regional fleet, while Qantas operated 102 routes to 62 regional destinations.
“This month marks 105 years since Qantas was founded in Outback Australia, and although we have had to make difficult decisions at times, we are as determined as ever to invest in the future of Outback Australia.”
Representatives from airlines, councils and unions will give evidence to the inquiry at Parliament House in Canberra.
