Airport should foot bill
RE: “Qantas under fire from Townsville Mayor” ( TB, 28/ 8), I am puzzled by the portrayal of Qantas as the bad guy in relation to the Townsville Airport ( TAPL) upgrade.
If this launched and relaunched upgrade goes ahead, the cost will be passed on to the public through their tickets. In effect, the people of Townsville will pay for it, not Qantas or Townsville Airport.
Presumably, we will also feel it through the taxi levy and parking costs. The flying public will pay for the airport’s owners to upgrade their investment.
Qantas says they believe we are paying enough in airport charges and do not believe they should be forced to pass more on to the paying public. This leaves TAPL with a decision as to whether to proceed, and if so, how do they pay.
Given that TAPL’s parent company, Queensland Airports earns substantial profits and obviously does not intend to reinvest them into our city or their assets, it would appear we are at a stalemate. They want to keep taking the profits they make in Townsville and presumably redirect them to their assets on the Gold Coast or elsewhere.
Who is the real bad guy here? Qantas wants to keep the costs and charges to a minimum for the people who travel.
They support TAPL upgrading their terminal, but don’t feel that the flying public should foot the bill.
Qantas spends massive amounts of their own money modernising their fleet so they can maintain full service flights in and out of Townsville.
On the other side, you have Townsville Airport, part of QAL, who make the profit and don’t reinvest into their assets.
They move the profit from our city to the Gold Coast.
When the negotiations for flights to Bali were under way, TAPL continually raised the issue of passenger charges as a major reason we did not have international flights and just how slim the margins were in air travel. Yet, when it comes to TAPL getting the money, there does not seem to be a problem.
And we are being told we should boycott Qantas? I suppose we have to, because as a monopoly owner and sole provider, we cannot boycott the airport.
I am standing with Qantas. Enough is enough. Townsville Airport should redevelop their terminal with their own money and create more profit from increased efficiencies and retail, not make us pay it for them.
They should pay for it themselves. EWEN JONES, Mundingburra.