Link Airways (FC, Canberra) will suspend its scheduled passenger services from Shellharbour on May 20, 2026, cutting the New South Wales airport's links to Brisbane International and Melbourne Airport. It presently operates both routes 4x weekly aboard the Saab 340B(Plus) and is the only operator at the airport.

Shellharbour City Council confirmed the carrier's decision in a May 7 statement, saying the suspension reflected the "challenging environment and broader cost pressures affecting businesses and households."

Jeff Boyd, Link Airways' network strategy manager, told local broadcaster ABC Illawarra the Shellharbour routes were losing "tens of thousands of dollars a day" and were no longer commercially viable. He said fuel had become a major cost pressure and that demand had softened.

Boyd also criticised the lack of direct government assistance for regional aviation. "There's no direct support for us at this time from the federal or state government," he said. "It's completely unfair that one airline gets propped up and the rest of us are out there on our own."

The Australian federal government had earlier introduced measures to support Regional Express Holdings, which entered voluntary administration in July 2024. These included an AUD80 million Australian dollar (USD57.8 million) financing facility, the acquisition of AUD50 million (USD36.1 million) of Rex debt, and a later AUD5 million (USD3.6 million) fund for airports affected by unpaid Rex claims.

According to ch-aviation data, Link Airways wet leases four Saab 340B(Plus) aircraft from parent company Corporate Air (Australia), which it uses to serve 16 destinations across Australia.

Shellharbour, which will now be left with no scheduled services, is around 80 kilometres south of Sydney Kingsford Smith.