VIRGIN Australia has again threatened to pull out of Queensland after discovering it was locked out of a route for fly-in, fly-out mine workers, allowing Qantas a monopoly.

Documents obtained under Right to Information laws show the Government in January was preparing to announce deregulation of the Brisbane-Roma-Charleville route.

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This would have allowed competition with QantasLink, which has held sole operator rights on the route for the past six years.

But in February the decision was reversed without explanation.

In a letter to Premier Campbell Newman dated February 24, Virgin chief John Borghetti said he was “incredulous” to learn the route would remain regulated.

“Access to the Brisbane-Roma route is critical to Virgin Australia’s ability to retain and secure corporate travel accounts,” Mr Borghetti wrote.

“The importance of Roma for the major firms in the resources sector is such that by locking us out of Roma, the Government has essentially prevented us from competing for any of this business.”

He said the decision had confirmed his view that: “Virgin Australia’s contribution to the state was not valued”.

“This will be taken into account in our future investment and network decisions,” Mr Borghetti warned.

Mr Newman did not respond until April 1, after a new tender process for regulated routes had begun. The only explanation he offered was “the Government needed to consider a range of advice and stakeholder views about the BRC flight route”.

LNP Member for Warrego Howard Hobbs said yesterday it was he who insisted deregulation would disadvantage the people of Charleville.

Mr Hobbs said the Premier decided against deregulation based on his advice, rather than that of Department of Transport advisers.

“They don’t live out here, they’ve got no idea,” Mr Hobbs said.

“I told the Premier somebody needed to be reamed out over (the decision).”

He said if the route was deregulated, airlines would cut the number of flights to Charleville and concentrate on the busier and more lucrative Brisbane-Roma route.

A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Scott Emerson yesterday said concerns expressed by Mr Hobbs and the local community had contributed to the decision’s reversal.

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