Gunnedah community shows strong support for return of commercial flights

The survey received an overwhelming 820 responses, with 72 per cent of respondents stating they would 'definitely' or 'probably' use Gunnedah airport if flights were available in the future.

People who said they would use the airport also said they were likely to fly quarterly.

Gunnedah Shire mayor Jamie Chaffey said the results were encouraging.

"This is the largest response we've had to any survey in council and reinforces the overwhelming support to have flights come back into Gunnedah," said Cr Chaffey.

"It's been more than 20 years since you've been able to have that opportunity to fly in and out of Gunnedah."

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The survey also highlighted which destinations were most desired.

"Flights and returns from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and other regional areas were desired as well," Cr Chaffey said.

"Which, if we're able to get commercial flights that connect to Sydney or Brisbane, we wouldn't only be able to connect with the other locations in Australia, but also the rest of the world through the connection to international flights."

Construction is already well under way on upgrade works to the Gunnedah airport tarmac, with work set to be completed by September.

President of the Gunnedah Business Chamber Ben Hennessy said the return of commercial flights to the area would help pave the way for an array of new economic benefits for the community.

"We've got a lot of large companies that also have offices based down in Sydney," he said.

"So, it creates that connectivity and ease of commute between their operational sites here [Gunnedah] and to their head offices.

"It will also make Gunnedah more appealing for larger firms to set up distribution centres in the region."

Mr Hennessy said the return of flights would also mean passengers would no longer have to travel an hour to catch a flight from Tamworth airport.

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