JETGO has been forced to delay the onset of its long-awaited Tamworth to Brisbane flights for a second time.
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The Brisbane-based carrier initially planned to resume the dormant service on January 19 before pushing it back to February 2.
But the company has confirmed passengers will have to wait until March 2 before the link between Tamworth and the Queensland capital is restored.
The postponement comes as Jetgo and Tamworth Regional Council attempt to reach a resolution on the lingering issue of security services at the airport.
Jetgo has baulked at passing on to customers the hefty overtime costs associated with keeping security staff on duty for several extra hours a day to service its flights.
The council is prepared to offer the airline some concessions to assist it establish a foothold in the market, but cannot absorb the entire cost.
Jetgo managing director Paul Bredereck said he was confident the two parties would agree upon a solution soon.
However, he said there was no guarantee that it would have been achieved in time for the first scheduled flights on February 2.
“The issue might well have been resolved by February 2, but I just didn’t want to take the chance of stuffing people around at short notice,” he said.
“It’s taken more time than we expected to resolve the matter, but we know the council’s working on it and we’re confident they’ll come up with an outcome.
“We simply believe that what the amount (in overtime passed on to customers through increased ticket prices) would make that flight unviable.”
Tamworth mayor Col Murray said while the delays were frustrating, it was important to get everything right before the service is launched.
“We’re negotiating and I’m fairly confident that we’ve got a way forward now,” he said.
“We’ve seen so many air services fail in regional Australia over the last couple
of years, we want this service to be sustainable.”