Fed: Qantas squeezes out regional operators
MELBOURNE, Feb 14 AAP - Hazelton Airlines has been squeezed out of three major regionalroutes as Qantas moves hundreds of extra seats onto the services.
Hazelton flights from Sydney to Canberra, Albury and Wagga Wagga will cease on Sunday,administrator Michael Humphris said today.
"The decision by Qantas to continually increase capacity on these routes has made Hazelton'sparticipation in these markets unviable," Mr Humphris said.
Qantas has added almost 400 seats a day to the already heavily-serviced Canberra route,an increase equal to the total daily capacity of Hazelton and Kendall Airlines, he said.
"These extraordinary and unwarranted increases leave us with no alternative but towithdraw from these routes.'
The termination of the Albury, Canberra and Wagga Wagga routes follow the recent endof services to Tamworth and Armidale.
But the smaller air operators are fighting back with proposals under way to amalgamatethe two Ansett former subsidiaries, Kendell and Hazelton airlines.
Mr Humphris said a proposal had been put forward by parties negotiating the purchaseof Hazelton and presented to Kendell administrators.
"A merger between Hazelton and Kendell makes sense. It will create a single operatorthat will be equipped to compete with Qantas in regional areas," he said.
AAP jmw/gfr/jmd/sb
KEYWORD: HAZELTON
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