An Orange City councillor has backed Regional Express Airlines amid concerns about its safety record.
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Cr Jeff Whitton said the regional airline played a vital role in Orange's economy by providing daily access for business people and tourists heading in and out of Orange Regional Airport.
"They are a key company in our eco-cycle for the community," he said.
"If indeed they were grounded for compliance purposes [imagine] the impact there would be on Orange. It is an asset to the city."
Cr Whitton, who is head of council's economic development community committee, said he respected the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's "rigid processes" which he said would ensure airlines were safe to fly.
"CASA are very, very good at what they do," he said.
Regional Express has rejected allegations of it having unsafe practices as being "baseless", "cowardly" and "malicious."
The regional airline has been the subject of media reports suggesting an employee's concern for the safety of an aircraft was repeatedly ignored.
It was claimed the engineer was victimised by Rex after reporting a problem with a propeller.
The same propeller safety issue was claimed to have contributed to an incident over Sydney in 2017.
The accusations had been made against Rex after a 17-page report was leaked to the press.
Mr Whitton said he was a regular Rex flyer between Orange and Sydney for business purposes.
"I've been flying two days a week out of Orange since the mid-1990s," he said.
That included both Hazelton and Rex airline flights.
"I found Rex to be a great service. I personally have never had an issue with the safety of their business," he said.
Cr Whitton said there had been issues out of the airline's control, including weather conditions, that had led to delays.
"These things happen. You can't control the weather," he said.
"I do fly a lot. From time to time there will be organisations that have circumstances that are just unforseen. There's a human factor with everything."
Cr Whitton said a core of business people and government staff regularly commuted between Orange and Sydney and needed an airline to get to Sydney on time.
"I see at least 10 people who are familiar faces everyday," he said.
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