Regional Express has warned it could be "irreversibly destroyed" unless the government takes emergency measures to ensure its viability during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rex chief operating officer Neville Howell said the airline could fold within six months, and would need to announce "drastic schedule reductions" and drop some routes altogether to buy them some more time.
In a strongly worded letter to Riverina MP and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, Mr Howell begged him to waive a range of fees and charges for one year to help them weather the storm. His demands include scrapping the "grossly unfair" fuel levy, waiving all air service charges, and suspending baggage security costs at regional terminals.
On top of waiving fees, Mr Howell is demanding the federal government provide a sovereign guarantee for any new loans so that banks will be willing to lend them money to tide them over.
"Rex calls on the leader of the National Party to immediately take vigorous, swift and unprecedented actions," Mr Howell said.
"If regional carriers collapse, so will many regional communities for which the air service is their lifeline."
While Rex anxiously awaits a response from the government they have placed a trading halt on their shares, freezing them until Thursday pending further announcements down the line.
Rex currently services regional centres including Albury, Wagga and Griffith with flights to metropolitan centres such as Sydney and Melbourne.
Mr McCormack has made no promises, but said the government was "looking at" the suggestions put forward by the airline and would arrive at a decision in the coming days.
"The airlines are facing difficulties, but they tell me they're OK at the moment," Mr McCormack said.
"We'll keep looking at what we can do as a government to help our airlines."
Mr McCormack said Rex, Qantas, and Virgin were feeling the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, with plummeting passenger numbers across the board.
The CAPA Centre for Aviation's recent report predicts most airlines will be bankrupt by May, with many airlines already being driven into technical bankruptcy.
