A new Dubbo-Ballina air service has attracted "quite strong" demand, the operator says on the eve of the inaugural flight.
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FlyPelican will take off from the airport on NSW's northern coast on Friday and fly inland to the city famous as the home of the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, before making a return journey.
The trial of the new route has started amid a time of closed state borders because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
FlyPelican chief executive officer Marty Hawley said on Wednesday the first flight had about 13 or 14 people booked on it both ways.
"I think the demand has been quite strong," he said.
"The response has been, off the back of the Canberra to Ballina service we launched at the start of July, the demand for this service is looking similar, which is great.
"I think people have got that pent-up demand to get out and have a bit of a holiday and it's about as far north as you can go at the moment to enjoy some sunshine."
FlyPelican has operated a Dubbo-Newcastle service since 2016.
The airline and Dubbo Regional and Ballina Shire councils have worked together to develop the new route and market it to their respective destinations.
Ballina mayor David Wright said it was going to be a "win-win" for both centres.
"I'll be down at the airport on Friday and I don't know if I'm letting the cat out of the bag, but I think most passengers getting off the plane will get a nice surprise," he said.
"So it's really something that our airport suffered quite badly with COVID at the start, we went from 54 flights a week down to about two," he said.
"But now it's built quite back up again, they're not huge numbers, but it's just trying to get niche markets, and FlyPelican have been really good being able to offer these, and I welcome people from the interior of NSW, because as I said, it's an untapped market."
Cr Wright said Ballina offered a getaway, had plenty for families, five main beaches that were "all different", and great experiences.
"The whales have virtually all gone north and people will be able to come up in a few weeks if they wish to when the whales are coming back down south," he said.
They can... go on a whale explorer boat...
- Ballina mayor David Wright
"They can make a booking and go on a whale explorer boat, and get individual seating and a naturalist to talk to them and they can go right up, they can't quite pat one, but they can go up pretty close to them.
"So those kind of experiences, but mainly it's the relaxed lifestyle, our river, and it really is a beautiful place."
Dubbo mayor Ben Shields said he would be at the airport to welcome the first tourists, and to "certainly welcome their wallets and purses".
"Now my warning again to the people of Dubbo, use this or lose this," he said.
"We need Dubbo people to embrace it, a lot of people in Dubbo are looking for that break to go away, because they can't access Queensland and they can't access Victoria, there are other places in NSW that have got problems with COVID.
"The North Coast is a fantastic place for a break, and likewise, the people of Ballina, the people of Byron Bay and all the North Coast, Dubbo is a fantastic place as well to go for that weekend break."