BENDIGO should be welcoming plans to create a local airline service.
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While the idea is still a little way from taking off, it seems the local consortium is keen to see the plans put into action.
It’s true that few people would use a plane service to fly to Melbourne to, say, watch the football or visit friends.
With Melbourne only about two hours by car, the airline would be quite redundant.
But there are plenty of people who could do business more efficiently if new air routes were established.
Neil Hansford has been investigating the idea for a local consortium and said it is viable.
He notes how tricky it can be for people to fly from Sydney or Brisbane to Bendigo for business day-trips, given there are the extra steps of catching buses, trains and renting cars.
Several hours are added to each journey, and Mr Hansford notes some businesspeople simply wouldn’t bother making the trip.
To get the long-haul flights, the airport needs to be upgraded.
Hopefully this process will be worked through.
The region would be opened up to all manner of new opportunities.
Of course it will take a lot of time, planning and investment to get to that stage. But nothing worth doing comes easily.
Hopefully this new idea is viable and can be implemented with much success. ?