Air services between Cooma and Sydney are set to resume.
Snowy Mounatains Airport Corporation (SMAC), Pty Ltd, owners of Snowy Mountains Airport announced last Friday that Aeropelican will be commencing year-round air passenger services between Sydney and the Snowy Mountains, starting in June.
Chairman of SMAC, Kevin Blyton, said on Friday “this is excellent news for the Snowy Mountains region and will bring significant financial benefits to the area. The reintroduction of regular commercial services will not only boost tourist numbers to the region, but will also benefit local residents by enabling them to easily fly to Sydney”.
Aeropelican is a Newcastle based independent regional airline which currently operates services to Sydney from Newcastle, Mudgee and Narrabri.
Aeropelican operates a fleet of BAE Jetstream 32 Turboprop aircraft and the new Snowy Mountains services will be operated using these aircraft.
Aeropelican general manager, Paul Graham, said “as an airline focussed on regional NSW, Aeropelican is committed to maintaining and growing air services in regional areas. We are dedicated to our vision of being a high quality and good value carrier for regional travellers.
“Aeropelican is extremely pleased to be involved in this exciting new service. We believe this role to be an opportunity for both Aeropelican and the Snowy Mountains region”.
The Aeropelcian services will commence on Friday June 11, with three return flights daily from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains from Sunday to Friday and two return flights on Saturdays during the winter months.
The winter flight times have been designed to allow connection to other services both domestically and internationally.
The flight schedule from October 1 onwards will be released shortly.
Every Aeropelican flight to and from the Snowy Mountains will have fares starting from $129, including all taxes and charges.
The news has been warmly welcomed by the local community.
Cooma-Monaro Shire deputy mayor, Dean Lynch, said the news was “fantastic for tourism in the local area and for local businesses, such as Snowy Hydro, who frequently travel to Sydney’.
“It is also great for health too. Rather than a six-hour road trip, people can now have an hour flight to Sydney.
“This is the third great thing to happen to the area this month; first the rain, then Torah (Bright’s gold medal at the Winter Olympics) and now new flight services.
“There has obviously been a lot of work done by Kevin Blyton and Tourism Snowy Mountains, with Steve Whan, - well done.”
Cooma Chamber of Commerce president, David Shelley agrees this is great news for the region.
“The ability for business people in particular to fly directly to the capital city for meetings is a critical element in the efficient use of their key resources (people). To a large extent regional airservice removes a comparative advantage enjoyed by metro based business operators strengthening the economic advantages enjoyed by some industry segments through regional relocation.
“Reintroduction of airservices strengthens the appeal of Cooma as a regional service centre to commercial business operators and those seeking a lifestyle alternative. I am sure this news will be widely welcomed throughout the Snowy Mountains region”, he said.
Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, has also welcomed the return of air services.
“This announcement is great news for the Snowy Mountains community and it is a great credit to the hard work of the Snowy Mountains Airport. I would like to congratulate Kevin Blyton and his team who have put this together, along with Aeropelican and the Tourism industry in the Snowy Mountains who have strongly supported air services”, Mr Whan said.
“Cutting down travel times to just over an hour by plane, compared to five hours by road, will encourage people to visit and live in the Snowy Mountains and will certainly make NSW Skifields far more attractive than the competition in New Zealand and Victoria.
“NSW Transport and Infrastructure is working closely with Aeropelican to finalise the licensing process, and I am working with the airport owners on infrastructure requirements”, he said.
