I welcome the decision of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to oppose Sydney Airport’s plan to increase charges for regional airlines, a move which is good news for the residents of regional communities.

This decision will help safeguard access to the Airport for regional airlines and the affordability of tickets for their passengers.

The consumer watchdog’s review of Sydney Airport’s proposed new charges was only made possible by the decision of this Labor Government to extend the regime which caps charges and requires increases to be approved by the ACCC.

Be it for family, health, educational or business reasons, it is critical that residents of regional communities continue to have access to Sydney Airport.

Indeed without government action to cap prices and protect regional slots, smaller regional airlines would over time be squeezed out of Sydney Airport by commercial pressures and limited space.

The actions of this Government together with today’s decision by the ACCC will benefit the passengers of all existing regional airlines as well as any new ones which may enter the regional aviation market in the years ahead.

Over the twelve months to June 2010, there were nearly 63,000 regional flights into and out of Sydney Airport carrying almost two million passengers.