Alice Springs Airport rejects Qantas suggestion airport charges are behind high regional airfares

Alice Springs Airport CEO Dave Batic stated the high cost of airfares to Alice Springs is due to airline ticket policies, rather than high airport costs, as suggested by Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce (ABC News, 03-Mar-2018). Mr Batic stated that the airport's charges are on average less than AUD30 (USD23.28) per passenger per flight and he "strongly disagree[s]" with Mr Joyce's reasoning that "airport charges are the reason for high airfares". Mr Batic noted the Australian Airports Association and the Australian Productivity Commission found that airport charges are generally between 5% and 8% of airline's operating costs.