Air Transport (Route Licensing—Passenger Services) Act 2002

Subject to subsection (2), if at the time the Minister makes a declaration under section 5(1) with respect to a particular route a person (an existing operator) is operating a scheduled air service on that route, the Minister must, before the Minister makes a general invitation to the aviation industry for applications for a route service licence, offer to grant to the existing operator a route service licence on conditions that the Minister considers to be fair and reasonable in the circumstances after taking into account any representations made by the existing operator.

The Minister is not required to make an offer under subsection (1) if the existing operator has publicly declared that he or she intends to discontinue scheduled air services on the route.

An existing operator has 14 days in which to accept an offer under subsection (1) after its receipt by the existing operator.