Link Airways flies into Tamworth hoping to give passengers more choice

Link Airways now offers 28 return services per week between the country music capital and the harbour city - that's 10 more than Qantas.

READ MORE:

It means Tamworth residents looking to fly into Sydney and back will have double the daily returns, seven days a week.

Link Airways manager of network strategy and development Jeff Boyd doesn't see the need for competition.

"We're happy to be supplementing the Sydney service with extra seats," he said.

"We find that people tend to fly with multiple airlines these days.

"They don't tend to be fixated on just flying with one carrier, so we're happy to welcome everyone aboard."

The flights take to the air out of Tamworth at 7:00 am and 3:30 pm, with planes touching regional tarmac again from Sydney at 9:45 am and 6:15 pm.

Mr Boyd said multiple carriers are good for business.

"I'd like to think that we offer just as good a service and we're operating slightly different schedules," he said.

"Perhaps our schedule would suit someone that didn't suit the other carrier."

Monday morning's first flight went off without any bumps that weren't to be expected when travelling by plane.

There's usually one passenger on every flight that doesn't show up despite checking in online, said senior base pilot Peter Saunders.

Mr Saunders said because it was the inaugural flight, he waited 10 - 15 minutes before taking off without the passenger.

The pilot said the new fight route will offer a lot more flexibility for people in the Tamworth region.

There were a few empty seats on the first flights, but Mr Boyd isn't worried.

"There's a good market here in Tamworth for two providers, there's room for us.

"The load's coming along nicely, we're happy with the way it's going."

Mr Boyd has decades of experience in the business under his belt.

He said reliability and frequency are key to a successful airline.

"People buy a ticket and they make a plan to be at the other end at a certain time of day," he said.

"We've just got to do our damnedest to make sure every single flight gets there exactly when most people need to be there."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: