Much has been said and written over the past week or so regarding JetGo and its future.
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It started when it was revealed last Thursday that Dubbo Regional Council was taking them to court for an outstanding debt it claimed it was owed.
And it came to a head on Friday when the company announced it was going into voluntary administration.
Some people have been quick to point the finger at Dubbo Regional Council for the situation, which has cast a major shadow on the future of air links between our city and Brisbane and Melbourne.
That’s not fair, and here’s why.
On face value, the move by council to launch wind-up action against the airline seemed heavy-handed.
But it has subsequently become apparent that it was a last resort, and it’s also apparent Dubbo isn’t the only centre that has some issues with JetGo.
After the story first broke came further reports of cash shortages, and the boss of Essendon Fields Airport, Chris Cowan, contacted the Liberal to talk about how he sees the Dubbo-Melbourne route as being more than viable.
He indicated his own organisation had been working with JetGo but also said they weren’t in any disputes with the airline.
Dubbo’s legal action may have hastened the course of action we saw taken on Friday, and to an extent forced JetGo’s hand to enter into administration, but it’s obvious something had to happen for progress to be made.
While there will be some short-term pain, and the future of our links with the Queensland and Victorian capitals is up in the air, there’s hope out there.
Experienced administrators McLeod Partners may be able to come in and get things heading in the right direction.
There’s nothing to say that JetGo has no future, but that will be played out over the course of time.
If there is a future, they may be able to pick up the routes and get going again.
If not, it may not be the end of the world either.
Who knows – maybe, just maybe, there is another carrier waiting in the wings to fly in and pick up the routes.
You’d like to think that council had a Plan B up their sleeve in case their court action was successful.
We might just need that plan to be brought forward a bit.