Just six per cent of the normal number of airline passengers are using Orange Regional Airport compared to the same time last year, new figures have revealed.
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A report to Orange City Council has found just 422 passengers used the airport in June, compared to 6729 in June 2019.
The council's budget income has also been hit by a drop in the number of people staying at the council's Colour City Caravan Park.
It only achieved 24 per cent capacity for the latest financial quarter while the on-site cabins achieved 47 per cent capacity. Both are below the council's aim of maintaining a 50 per cent occupancy rate.
That certainly affects the bottom line with running the airport.
- Cr Reg Kidd, Orange mayor
Orange mayor Reg Kidd said the figures indicated how the city was being hit financially by the impact of the coronavirus restrictions.
Council figures show there were more than 4000 airline passengers in March but the impact of the lockdowns saw numbers fall to only a few hundred in April, May and June.
The June figure is slightly up on the previous two months.
Cr Kidd said council lost money through not receiving landing charges for each passenger.
"That certainly affects the bottom line with running the airport. It's significant," he said.
"That is dramatically down."
However, he said the airport had other paying users including flying schools and the rescue helicopter and patient transfer flight services.
Cr Kidd said the fall in airport income would not lead to any job losses.
While the airport's numbers have been boosted by the introduction of QantasLink services since the June figures were recorded, Fly Corporate's service from Melbourne has been hit by virus restrictions from last Friday.
It is now only able to fly people with exemptions into Orange.
Cr Kidd said the drop in numbers at the caravan park was also seasonal.
"You do get that decrease in winter. Orange is a beautiful place to be in spring, autumn or even summer but how many RVs do you see in and around Orange in winter, nix," he said.
Cr Kidd said the lower occupancy had meant staff had been able to upgrade facilities, including providing new vanities, at the park.
In the private sector Airbnb Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand Susan Wheeldon said its hosts had tried to keep operating.
"To date, we have not seen a material drop in the overall number of listings on our platform," she said.
"While a very small portion of hosts have understandably had to make difficult choices based on their personal circumstances, our community remains ready to continue to drive tourism and support local jobs.
"Hosts on Airbnb are very much focused on how they can help their local communities get back on their feet and play a role in helping to drive economic recovery," she said.
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