00:02Qantas flights are set to be grounded in the state's largest regional city.
00:07The airline will axe its service between Mount Gambier and Adelaide from next month.
00:13Locals are worried about what it could mean for the future.
00:16Well it certainly does put us in a precarious position for that connectivity
00:20which is so important to a city and region of our size.
00:25Qantas currently operates four days a week out of Mount Gambier
00:29but Regional Express Airlines will be the last airline standing.
00:33The local council operates the airport and says flying can be a challenge.
00:38The flight times weren't necessarily suiting what our market is here.
00:43So that's something that the airlines need to work that out and have a look at what fits for them.
00:48Fewer flights has the medical community worried.
00:51Dozens of doctors and specialists fly from Adelaide to Mount Gambier every month.
00:56So there are 70,000 people that rely on specialist healthcare.
01:01Now clearly Qantas has taken a commercial decision but the consequences of that
01:08not just for Mount Gambier but for other regional healthcare centres are going to be significant.
01:14Qantas says rising fuel costs and falling demand for flights to and from Mount Gambier is why it made the
01:21cut.
01:21But business groups say the move is short sighted.
01:25When you start to see these big businesses feel the pinch,
01:28the flow on effect for the smaller businesses in regional locations is a lot wider.
01:33Flights between Adelaide and Port Lincoln will also be reduced as part of Qantas's cuts
01:39with Regional Australia feeling the effects of a global crisis.
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