Wirraway
19th Sep 2004, 10:13
AAP
Rex being squeezed out of Sydney: Breust
September 19, 2004 - 2:39PM
Regional airline Rex is being squeezed out of Sydney airport because the facility favours growing domestic carrier Virgin Blue, Rex managing director Geoff Breust says.
Mr Breust said Sydney Airports Corporation Limited had indicated it did not want to renew Rex's lease, which expires on November 30 this year.
The regional airline, which ferries more than half a million travellers throughout NSW and Canberra each year, could be forced to consider moving to Bankstown airport.
But Mr Breust said the airline company did not want to move, and it was not a viable option.
"We'd be far better off closing the airline down than going to Bankstown," he told reporters at Sydney airport.
Rex officials are due to meet with Sydney Airport representatives to discuss the situation. However, Mr Breust said Rex sought clarification from Sydney Airport on its future arrangements since February this year with no success.
He believed the airport, whose biggest shareholder is currently Macquarie Bank, was gradually shifting its favour to larger, more influential players.
"Sydney Airport's owned by Macquarie Bank," he said. "It's yet another bank that's really trying to screw the bush.
"And we've seen what the banks have done regionally in Australia over the last 10 to 15 years.
"They'll see this as just another major corporation trying to look after the big end of town and trying to go where the dollars, etcetera, might be, rather than understanding really what this activity is all about."
He said regional air services into Sydney airport were "just as important as international services or the other domestic services".
"There should be appropriate levels of access to all parties," he said.
When Federal Transport Minister John Anderson announced the sale of Sydney airport two years ago, he assured the public regional services would not be disadvantaged by it, Mr Breust said.
He said he had raised the matter with Mr Anderson's office but it was considered a commercial rather than a government issue.
Nevertheless, he remained optimistic of a satisfactory outcome.
"I still hope that we can achieve it," he said.
© 2004 AAP
============================================
Rex being squeezed out of Sydney: Breust
September 19, 2004 - 2:39PM
Regional airline Rex is being squeezed out of Sydney airport because the facility favours growing domestic carrier Virgin Blue, Rex managing director Geoff Breust says.
Mr Breust said Sydney Airports Corporation Limited had indicated it did not want to renew Rex's lease, which expires on November 30 this year.
The regional airline, which ferries more than half a million travellers throughout NSW and Canberra each year, could be forced to consider moving to Bankstown airport.
But Mr Breust said the airline company did not want to move, and it was not a viable option.
"We'd be far better off closing the airline down than going to Bankstown," he told reporters at Sydney airport.
Rex officials are due to meet with Sydney Airport representatives to discuss the situation. However, Mr Breust said Rex sought clarification from Sydney Airport on its future arrangements since February this year with no success.
He believed the airport, whose biggest shareholder is currently Macquarie Bank, was gradually shifting its favour to larger, more influential players.
"Sydney Airport's owned by Macquarie Bank," he said. "It's yet another bank that's really trying to screw the bush.
"And we've seen what the banks have done regionally in Australia over the last 10 to 15 years.
"They'll see this as just another major corporation trying to look after the big end of town and trying to go where the dollars, etcetera, might be, rather than understanding really what this activity is all about."
He said regional air services into Sydney airport were "just as important as international services or the other domestic services".
"There should be appropriate levels of access to all parties," he said.
When Federal Transport Minister John Anderson announced the sale of Sydney airport two years ago, he assured the public regional services would not be disadvantaged by it, Mr Breust said.
He said he had raised the matter with Mr Anderson's office but it was considered a commercial rather than a government issue.
Nevertheless, he remained optimistic of a satisfactory outcome.
"I still hope that we can achieve it," he said.
© 2004 AAP
============================================