The hotel industry is calling for a targeted and sustainable increase in international air access to Australia.

This is the central point in a submission submitted on behalf of the industry – which heavily relies on the aviation sector for business – by the AHA to the Federal Government as it develops a National Aviation Policy Statement (or White Paper) to guide aviation for the next decade.

The AHA’s submission states: “The hotel industry’s highest priority is the existence of a sustainable international and domestic aviation sector that maximises the opportunity for visitors to come to and travel around Australia.”

The Government is expected to release a Green Paper on this topic before the end of this month.

Other key points of the AHA’s submission include:

• Australia’s new National Aviation Policy Statement must be linked to Australia’s new National Long-Term Tourism Strategy (which is also under development);

• All bilateral Air Service Agreements, which regulate aviation access to markets, should be reviewed and a “use it or lose it” policy should be adopted on specific routes between Australia and other countries, no matter which airlines are involved;

• There must be increased seating capacity on the Pacific Route (between Australia and the US);

• Regional flights should be relocated from Sydney Airport to Bankstown Airport;

• Newcastle and Canberra airports should accommodate overflow passenger and cargo air traffic from Sydney Airport, with Newcastle and Canberra airports to be linked to Sydney by a Very Fast Train;

• The AHA is opposed to existing airport curfews (Adelaide, Gold Coast, Sydney) and the introduction of new airport curfews; and

• Management of regional airports should be overhauled so that this responsibility lies with a single, commercially-focused entity.

A summary of and a complete copy of the AHA’s submission are available by clicking on www.aha.org.au/aviationstrategy.html.