A new group has been set up by Australian and New Zealand airlines to lobby governments for fairer taxes, airport fees and access to better infrastructure.
Qantas, Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Tigerair Australia and Regional Express are all backing Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ).
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said airport fees and charges continue to increase while airlines are offering significantly cheaper airfares now than they were more than a decade ago.
"A4ANZ's goal is to achieve regulatory reform that will promote a competitive and sustainable airline industry in the interests of Australian and New Zealand travellers," he said.
Air NZ boss Christopher Luxon said Australia and New Zealand are facing increasing competition to attract visitors, and improvements in the cost and quality of travel are being constrained by under investment in key airports.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said earlier this week that local airports are estimated to have collected an extra $1.6 billion in revenue from airlines in the past decade due to increases in aeronautical charges.
"Despite these much higher revenues per passenger, ratings of service quality are not materially different from those seen a decade ago," chairman Rod Sims said on Monday.
The new industry group will be chaired by former ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel, and a chief executive will be appointed in the next few months.
