Skytrans A Cairns-based airline that lost its government-subsidised routes to a southern competitor this week has moved to assure staff that most of their jobs were safe. Skytrans this week lost its regulated, state government-subsidised milk-run routes when it lost out in a tender process against New South Wales-based Regional Express, otherwise known as Rex. Rex picked up the Western 1 (Brisbane-Toowoomba-St George-Cunnamulla-Thargomindah), Western 2 (Brisbane-Toowoomba-Charleville-Quilpie-Windorah-Birdsville-Bedourie-Boulia-Mount Isa) and Gulf (Cairns-Normanton-Mornington Island-Burketown-Doomadgee-Mount Isa) routes from Skytrans. Skytrans managing director Simon Wild told Fairfax Media it was disappointing to lose the regulated routes, but the company had planned for the contingency for the past six months. Advertisement We feel that we provided excellent services to western Queensland and the gulf region for the last six or seven years, he said. We know the market had grown significantly during the time we were the operator there and we had great support from the community, who had written to the government saying how much they liked our service and wanted to support our continued operation. But, it was a tender and someones obviously come in at a significantly lower price and the person paying for it is elected to take that option up and we understand that decision. Rex network strategy and sales general manager Warrick Lodge said on Wednesday the airline was mindful of the potential loss of employment for many staff and agents of the incumbent and would seek to hire as many as they could. Mr Wild said agents and ground staff were used to switching airlines, as they had from MacAir to Skytrans at the end of the previous government contact. As for Skytrans own staff, Mr Wild said there would not be significant job losses. We certainly have opportunities in north Queensland, weve had opportunities in the past in WA and the Northern Territory and in Sydney, he said. Not all those opportunities are where everyone currently is and sometimes we have to move our aircraft to where those opportunities are. When it comes to that, we talk to our staff about whether they want to take up those opportunities and some staff may elect not to and stay where they reside and seek other employment. Mr Wild said he had no doubt agents and ground staff in the ports that will no longer be serviced by SkyTrans would find employment under the Rex banner. As far as the agents have concerned, to be honest theyve been around there since subsidies first began back in the FlightWest days and if you actually go out there, theyve all got the stickers of all of the people whove operated, he said. They just wait for the new operator to come in, change their colours and theyre the new agent. Mr Wild said although the government-subsidised routes dominated the Skytrans route map, published on its website, they were not the main source of business for the airline. Our backyard and the majority of our business is Cairns-centric and the far north, he said. If you look at the map, youd say we had a lot of work out in western Queensland, but thats not a lot of work. That takes up one aircraft and the rest of it is up here in the north and thats what well be focusing on. Mr Wild would not be drawn on what those opportunities were, other than to say there were tendering processes at play. Weve had some contingency plans for the past six months that weve worked on, so I cant commit into saying anything specific, he said. But the first people wholl know anything will be our staff, because we value them and need to ensure we look after them as best we can. Wednesdays announcement was the second blow to Skytrans in as many months, after it announced it would depart the Toowoomba-Sydney route following the arrival of QantasLink at the new Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport. Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emersons announcement came on the day of the funeral of Mr Wilds father, Sir John Wild, who died a couple of weeks short of his 86th birthday. He was a man who did a lot and were very proud of him. He was a loving father, grandfather and husband, Mr Wild said. Read more: smh.au/business/aviation/skytrans-assures-airline-staff-after-route-losses-20141016-1173lx.html#ixzz3GJ2kdppT
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:33:22 +0000
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