International aviation opportunities for regional Australian airports

Australian Government announced (09-Dec-2009) new measures to help make Australia's regional international airports, such as Cairns, Broome and Darwin, more attractive for international airlines. The government plans to offer foreign airlines greater access to four major gateway destinations of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth for flights that make stopovers in regional airports. In addition, the government also plans offer foreign airlines the right to operate from regional international airports into nearby countries, such as New Zealand and the Pacific islands. The government already offers foreign carriers unlimited access to regional airports. The announcement will be confirmed in the government's Aviation White Paper, to be released next week. [more]