Full page advertisement calls for public forum over Geraldton flights

The managing director of a Geraldton hotel has called for an urgent public forum following Virgin Australia’s withdrawal from the city.

In a full-page advertisement in The Geraldton Guardian, Broadwater Hotels and Resorts managing director Scott Cogar says a public forum needs to be held “as soon as practical to seek community input” after the loss of the major airline servicing the city.

He said due to Virgin’s departure, there had been a 40 per cent reduction in flights between Geraldton and Perth — down to 12 a week.

Another issue was Geraldton no longer being readily bookable by Virgin’s booking site, holiday programs, customer base, frequent flyer programs and global airline partners.

“I respect that some people may not share my concerns, but if you do ... I invite you to please make your concerns known to your local councillor, member of Parliament or Midwest Chamber of Commerce and Industry,” he said.