NEW England MP Barnaby Joyce has been assured Qantas will continue to offer passenger services to the region, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Joyce told the Leader he had a meeting with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce on Tuesday night, and was assured passenger services to Tamworth and Armidale would be here to stay. "It's a good start," Mr Joyce said. "My job is to make sure they are not ceasing flights and Alan Joyce said they're not and I will take his word for it." Read Also: The New England MP's consultation with the Qantas boss came after the airline giant announced it would not be flying to Armidale from Friday until May 31. The possibility of a triangular air route between Armidale, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour had been floated by Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall as a temporary solution. Support the local news that keeps you informed - subscribe today. However, Mr Joyce said details of Qantas' plans for the region were not yet known. "As I said, my job was to ensure flights to Armidale continued; we didn't really go into too many details about what that might look like," he said. "It just comes down to if the federal government and Qantas land on common ground. Hopefully that is very soon. "I want to make sure my electorate has flights to its major centres, which are Tamworth and Armidale. "I'll make sure that happens." Have your say, send a letter to the editor. Qantas declined to comment on Wednesday. Mr Joyce said the COVID-19 pandemic had created challenges for all aspects of business, not just airlines. "It's tough times for everybody," he said. "However, while it is peculiar times for us all, it is really enjoyable to working in the electorate and while it feels odd not to be working in Canberra, it is nice to be working from home." Sign up to receive The Leader's breaking news and top stories straight to your inbox.
REST ASSURED: New England MP Barnaby Joyce has been assured by Qantas CEO Alan Joyce the company will continue to service the Tamworth and Armidale regions.
NEW England MP Barnaby Joyce has been assured Qantas will continue to offer passenger services to the region, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Joyce told the Leader he had a meeting with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce on Tuesday night, and was assured passenger services to Tamworth and Armidale would be here to stay.
"It's a good start," Mr Joyce said.
"My job is to make sure they are not ceasing flights and Alan Joyce said they're not and I will take his word for it."
The New England MP's consultation with the Qantas boss came after the airline giant announced it would not be flying to Armidale from Friday until May 31.
The possibility of a triangular air route between Armidale, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour had been floated by Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall as a temporary solution.
Mr Joyce said the COVID-19 pandemic had created challenges for all aspects of business, not just airlines.
"It's tough times for everybody," he said.
"However, while it is peculiar times for us all, it is really enjoyable to working in the electorate and while it feels odd not to be working in Canberra, it is nice to be working from home."
