The Federal Government has announced an extension of the Domestic Aviation Network Support (DANS) and Regional Airline Network Support (RANS) programs, to support the heavily affected aviation industry.
The DANS program provides shortfall subsidies for four domestic commercial lines to operate along the top 50 domestic routes. These key routes have allowed for the connection of essential workers across the country, as well as enabling critical freight movement.
The RANS program aims to maintain a level of connectivity to regional and remote locations. Both programs will taper support, as the industry recovers from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the programs have helped to support the industry’s recovery.
“Through the COVID-19 crisis, DANS and RANS have allowed more than 1.8 million passengers to continue to travel across our country, including essential workers in health care and other frontline services,” he said.
“We are laser-focused on keeping the nation connected and supporting economically critical freight movements as we continue to manage the ongoing challenges of this global pandemic and move into a recovery phase.”
The Government is also extending a 50 per cent waiver of domestic air services charges for Regular Public Transport and aeromedical flights to 31 December 2021.
The Tourism Aviation Network Support (half-price flights) initiative is being extended to 30 November 2021 for both sales and travel, to ensure travellers impacted by lockdowns or border closures can access these tickets and benefit key tourism regions as soon as possible.
The Aviation Services Accreditation Support and Domestic Airports Security Costs Support programs have also been extended, further supporting the aviation industry.
Both programs aim to support companies within the industry, such as ground handling companies, as well as reduce cost relating to domestic airport operation.
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