EDITORIAL: "COME fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away!”
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Regional aviation boss Malcolm Sharp was channelling his inner Frank Sinatra this week when he announced Sharp Airlines would resume Warrnambool to Melbourne services.
The company had operated a service connecting Essendon Airport to Hamilton and Portland for the past decade but low patronage has forced a rethink.
Sharp now has its sights set on Warrnambool Airport, starting its Western District route at Portland and stopping in the south-west’s largest city before jetting off to the state capital.
Mr Sharp said population and economic growth in the Warrnambool area were key considerations in the re-routing decision.
“Warrnambool has been a real hive of activity in the past few years — the dairy industry has really taken off and there’s more opportunities business-wise than there has been in a long time,” the Sharp Airlines chief executive told The Standard.
Warrnambool City Council chief executive Bruce Anson was elated by the news and the opportunities it presented. He pointed out the “cultural barrier” for city commuters looking to travel to Warrnambool and the wider south-west.
“The distance between Warrnambool and Melbourne isn’t as great as that between Melbourne and Warrnambool,” Mr Anson said. “What I mean by that is city people see travel to here as a long haul compared to people in the south-west, who are used to travelling long distances.”
Mr Anson is spot on. Many Melburnians have never travelled to Warrnambool because they consider the city too far away.
Yes, there is always road and rail and both methods are far more affordable than air. Mr Sharp said a one-way ticket from Warrnambool to Melbourne or vice-versa would cost between $80 to $300.
Comparatively, a one-way adult train ticket costs roughly $60 and a tank-load of petrol costs a little more.
But time is money in the corporate world and many would willingly fork out extra cash in order to arrive in Warrnambool within an hour.
A new passenger service is a win for Warrnambool and the wider region.