Tasmania Devils could be answer to Launceston Airport woes

On Tuesday, airline company Bonza made the decision to ground their fleet after entering voluntary administration, with Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie claiming it was "another blow for Tasmania's flatlining economy" and Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff describing it as "disappointing".

"With these flights and the economic contribution they bring drying up, the need for more plans to stimulate the economy has become even greater or Tasmania will head closer to economic disaster," Willie added.

Tasmania Football Club board member Kathryn McCann said the introduction of the state's AFL team will be crucial to ensuring airline companies can trust supply and demand in the future, especially during the quieter winter months.

"Any business case on new aviation capacity is always more compelling when there's evidence around demand," she said.

"And I think football games, and particularly members or fans that are coming from specific locations for scheduled events, can really add value to those business cases."

A former general manager of business development at Hobart Airport, McCann said there is "no doubt" that football fans travel to see their team play.

Speaking exclusively with The Examiner, she revealed that Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia were the highest Tasmania Devils foundation member bases with approximately 40,000, 15,000 and 10,000 respectively.

McCann explained that with flights at Launceston Airport only running in the summer to and from Perth, WA, AFL matches based at UTAS Stadium will bring more demand and therefore more supply.

"The thing about footy is that it's happening during what has traditionally been known as the 'slower season' which is during winter predominantly and that's often when we see the capacity pulled back," she explained.

"So it'll be a terrific leader to ensure that we can see that capacity maintained in the market.

"The fixture will give airlines that certainty, particularly during winter. When games are fixtured, they will know there'll be increased demand and demand should result in additional capacity on either existing services or creation of new services to meet that demand."

McCann said talks had already begun between the club and the state's airports and seaports, and accepted the onus was on them to ensure "games are well marketed for the best response possible".

"What's really important is that we don't just get the visitors or the fans to Tasmania for the game, but we really encourage an additional length of stay and dispersal around the state," she said.

"Because we know the average length of stay for a visit to Tasmania is high and when people do come for an event, they will stay pre and post, so we need to ensure that we're working with the industry so that they all benefit and we can get these fans as far and wide into regional communities across the state."