AFTER 12 years, Virgin Australia will no longer fly from Albury.
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The airline announced on Wednesday it was ending Albury-Sydney flights after having suspended services on the route in March because of coronavirus.
The Border port is one of seven Virgin is quitting for what it states as the "foreseeable future".
The other places to be dumped by Virgin are Ayers Rock, Tamworth, Hervey Bay, Mildura and Cloncurry.
Those who have booked with Virgin to travel the routes will be contacted by the airline, while passengers who made reservations through a travel agent are advised to contact that business.
Albury mayor Kevin Mack expressed dismay at the move.
"We're very disappointed that Virgin Australia has decided to withdraw from the Albury-Wodonga region but will continue to liaise with the airline on the potential for Albury services to ultimately resume when economic conditions improve," Cr Mack said.
Low passenger demand and a change in the carrier's fleet have been blamed for the decision which follows the airline having gone into voluntary administration and being sold.
The airline now only flies Boeing 737s rather than the turboprops which ran between Albury and Sydney.
Those planes are all been sold or returned as part of lease deals.
The Albury-Sydney run was considered one of Virgin's underperforming routes even before the dawn of COVID-19.
The airline was competing against Regional Express and Qantas on the corridor.
Cr Mack said he expected those carriers to continue.
"We are confident that our existing airline partners have the capacity to meet regional demand for the next 12 to 18 months and look forward to maintaining our close relationship with those airlines as they continue to provide valued services to the Albury-Wodonga region," Cr Mack said.
Virgin began flying between the border and the Harbour City in February 2008 when it was known as Virgin Blue.
The airline marked the inaugural flight, which involved an Embraer jet, by offering 1000 fares between Albury and Sydney for just one cent.
