The latest in a string of scandals, a cancelled flight from Tamworth to Brisbane on Christmas Day, has an increasing air of desperation about it.

There now seems little doubt Brindabella as a business is at a crisis point.

The airline owes Moree council thousands of dollars in unpaid landing and fuel fees and rumours continue to circulate it is in a similar position with Narrabri council.

Its cold-hearted decision to scrap flights on Christmas Day to save a few dollars suggests it is focused squarely on short-term survival.

Meanwhile, two of the four planes grounded by CASA last month remain on the tarmac because of lingering safety concerns.

The passenger airline market can be an unforgiving one.

If we needed a reminder just how unforgiving it was, we need only look back a few days at the financial turbulence buffeting our national carrier.

Brindabella has survived in a cut-throat market by slashing overheads and positioning itself as the only carrier at a host of regional ports.

But monopolies don’t last forever.

The airline’s corporate image in Tamworth, Moree and Narrabri has plummeted so far it would not take much for the travelling public, many of whom have their own Brindabella horror stories, to support a new airline.

Brindabella must quickly grasp that while it’s had success by tweaking its network strategy to meet market demand, a satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.

For years, local councils have stood by Brindabella, offering them support in return for them showing a genuine commitment to servicing our communities.

But as that commitment wavers, so too are the councils’ and the communities’.

The cold reality is, residents in places like Narrabri and Moree need an airline as much as an airline needs them.

But, monopoly or not, the customer is king in any business.

Brindabella may just be about to discover how true that is.