He has called for a shake-up of the industry after Virgin Australia last week announced it would reduce its overnight Tamworth to Sydney services from six nights a week to three following a reallocation of landing slots at Kingsford Smith Airport

Mr Anderson said he was furious over the lack of support for air services in his electorate and that flight cuts were another blow for regional areas.

He said he was concerned if the saga continues the city could be overlooked for investment opportunities and he put regulatory body Air Coordination Australia on notice.

“If you want to fly between Sydney and Brisbane there’s over 50 flights a day you can catch at roughly half hour intervals. Regional NSW barely gets a look in - fighting to get whatever time-slot scraps are left over from the capital city overkill,” he said.

“My fear is that our growth will start to slow and from there the confidence from investors looking to Tamworth (for opportunities) will start to wane. We could end up being overlooked for ease of access and convenience for other centres like Wagga and Dubbo.”

The Tamworth MP said he believed a “use it or lose it scheme” should be applied to major airlines who retain their spots even if they don’t use them.

He also believed the city’s regional airport had the passenger numbers to justify the demand for peak time slots with growth of 14.6 per cent over the last year and more than 200,000 passengers predicted to pass through the airport doors this year alone.

“If you don’t use those slots, they should be handed back into the pool,” he said.

“We know the industry has a keen interest in flights in and out of Tamworth with four airlines now flying commercially between Tamworth and Sydney and Brisbane airports. We also know the passenger numbers are strong.  These changes are an absolute necessity for regional development and growth. Tamworth has long term solid growth forecasts which require reliable, sustainable and affordable transport to succeed.

“Airport Coordination Australia needs to know that we’re not going away, we’re going to keep fighting for a fair go not just for the future growth and prosperity of Tamworth, but for all regional NSW cities and towns that face this struggle.

The local MP said he would continue to make representations to NSW  transport minister Andrew Constance, Tourism minister Stuart Ayres and at a federal level.