Paul Toole, NSW Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional New South Wales, Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Media Release, 8 November 2021

Air services critical to the Lord Howe Island community are set to continue, with the NSW Government extending the existing QantasLink licence for another three years from 2022.

Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the air service is vital for keeping the Island’s 350 residents connected to Sydney and to support the tourism industry.

“The NSW Government is committed to the continuation of essential air services to help achieve its target of $25 billion in overnight visitor expenditure in Regional NSW by 2030,” Mr Toole said.

“Around 16,000 Australian and international visitors travel to the World Heritage listed island each year, so the extension of the licence will ensure they can continue to explore all Lord Howe Island has to offer.”

Member for Port Macquarie Leslie Williams said the service provided an essential service for residents and visitors alike.

“Air transport is the only practical way residents and visitors can travel to and from the island, with the local community relying on the service to access health and other important services in Sydney,” Mrs Willams said.

QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the renewal of the licence to operate to Lord Howe Island was great news for local residents and visitors.

“As the national carrier and the country’s largest regional airline, we are focused on connecting people and places and encouraging travellers to discover the best of Australia,” Mr Gissing said.

“We look forward to bringing more travellers to Lord Howe Island as domestic borders start to reopen, helping support local businesses in their recovery from COVID.”

Acting CEO of the Lord Howe Island Board Angie Stringer said the Island was fortunate QantasLink aircraft coming from Sydney could use this runway to service the island.

“This is great news for our community to have stability of the air service for the next three years.”

The licence extension will come into effect from 30 March, 2022.

There are currently 26 intrastate routes linked to the Sydney Airport (Kingsford-Smith), two of which are regulated. The two remaining regulated routes in NSW are from Sydney to Lord Howe Island and Sydney to Moree.