A QantasLink plane touches down at Canberra Airport. The flying kangaroo’s services are set to change in the national capital. Photo: Canberra Airport.
Qantas has offered the sweetener of more Qantaslink services to Canberra after confirming it will close its Canberra base next year.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the decision was disappointing. But he said Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson had committed to expanding QantasLink A220 services to Canberra when she rang Wednesday morning (1 October) to advise him of the decision.
“I did seek, and have received, Qantas’ commitment to expanding QantasLink A220 services to Canberra, maintaining their Canberra engineering crew base and continuing to employ more than 120 people in the ACT,” he said.
Mr Barr said the decision was not the outcome for which the 30 impacted staff and government had hoped.
“While we acknowledge Qantas’ commitment to support Canberra-based staff – enabling them to continue working for the airline while continuing to live in Canberra – today’s announcement will understandably be difficult for those employees,” he said.
“No doubt further details will also need to be worked through with each impacted staff member during the transition.”
Mr Barr said Ms Hudson also reassured him the decision would not have any impact on potential future international services from Canberra.
“We will continue regular engagement with Qantas during the transition and seek further assurance on the reliability of QantasLink flights to and from Canberra Airport,” he said.
Qantas confirmed on Wednesday its decision to close the Canberra, Hobart and Mildura bases and consolidate its crews in its Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne hubs.
Qantas denies the move is a cost-saving measure but based on reducing delays and cancellations across its network by concentrating staff in its busiest ports.
QantasLink CEO Rachel Yangoyan told ABC radio a comprehensive support package would be available for staff to stay in Canberra if they wished and to help them commute into the major hubs.
Ms Yangoyan said the move would strengthen service reliability by having crews on standby in the hubs, available to be deployed quickly to areas where there might be weather or engineering disruptions.
“That helps the entire network, not just Canberra,” she said.
Ms Yangoyan said any unforeseen issues in Canberra would be dealt with the same way as for other ports.
“We operate to more than 58 regional and major capital cities across our network, and we don’t have bases in all of them,” she said.
“So it’s no different to how we operate in any of those other ports, and in fact, given our high schedule and frequency, particularly on Sydney to Canberra, we will typically always have crew who are transiting through there anyway.
“So this decision will not impact the reliability for Canberra, it will maintain it and it will continue to strengthen it for the rest of our network, which is critically important.”
Ms Yangoyan said the current fleet renewal program was driving the move, not costs.
She apologised for the number of cancellations on the notorious Canberra-Sydney route, which was especially bad during the winter.
Senator Katy Gallagher encourages Qantas to keep its base in Canberra. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
But Finance Minister and ACT Senator Katy Gallagher, who last month accused Qantas of ripping off customers, remained unmoved.
“Nothing we have seen from Qantas demonstrates the need to make this change and we would urge the CEO and board to reconsider and maintain its Canberra base,” she said.
“It is more than reasonable for us to expect Qantas to deliver more reliable and affordable flights to and from Canberra and to also be a steadfast community partner and a good local employer.”
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury and Member for Fenner Andrew Leigh told the ABC the government was also urging Qantas to reconsider.
“If it’s not about money then they should keep the base open in order to maintain the connection to the community,” he said. “Qantas shouldn’t just be about the bottom line, it should also be about its social licence to operate.”
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) said the decision again showed Qantas’ failure to listen to its workforce, the travelling public or the outcry from local communities.
It said a survey from TWU, Australian Federation of Air Pilots and Australian and International Pilots Association of affected pilots showed 68 per cent would be forced to consider other employment if bases closed; and one in five had already been affected by recent Qantas base closures in Perth and Cairns.
“Without permanently based crew and pilots in these locations, the closures have the potential to cause more cancellations, particularly in Canberra, once again resulting in a decline in standards for passengers,” the union said.
Canberra Airport did not wish to comment.
