Perth Airport’s management has responded to claims made by Qantas that high airport charges will kill the airline’s plans to launch direct Perth-Paris flights.
The airport is suing Qantas in the Supreme Court, claiming the airline now owes about $20 million in airport fees.
Perth Airport claims its fees amounted to about $15 per passenger for the Perth-London service, which is just a small fraction of the airfare Qantas charges passengers.
Perth reduced airport fees but this was still some way off what Qantas want to pay.
"The discrepancy between Perth Airport’s proposed reduced airport charge and what Qantas has chosen to pay is small in the context of an airfare," the airport said.
"The claims that the airport charges dispute is standing in the way of this new service simply do not stand up to scrutiny."
Andrew McGinnes, Qantas’ corporate affairs manager said the airport’s stance of not allowing ‘fair and reasonable’ fees is putting at risk ‘hundreds of millions of dollars in new aircraft’ to support expansion at the airport.
Qantas had called for the appointment of an independent arbitrator to set fees but this was dismissed by Australia’s Productivity Commission.
