Andrew Barr is kicking off a campaign to get international flights into Canberra Airport in 2013:
Canberra’s push for international flights in 2013 will step up this month with the establishment of a taskforce to coordinate our city’s efforts.
The taskforce will comprise members drawn from the business and tourism sectors to work with Canberra International Airport and the ACT Government.
Now is the time for a Canberra team to come together to pitch to airlines to start direct international flights to and from Canberra.
In recent months, the ACT Government has been meeting with key stakeholders, and last month I visited New Zealand to hold initial discussions with aviation and airline representatives about future direct services.
Following meetings in with Air New Zealand, Wellington Airport and Positively Wellington Tourism there is a consensus that with the appropriate level of investment and collaboration we could attract significant levels of business and leisure travellers in both directions.