Aviation experts are heralding electric planes as the key to shorter flight paths returning to the skies.
Electric planes have a motor powered by electricity rather than an internal combustion engine like conventional aircraft.
David Doral, the co-founder and CEO of Dovetail Electric Aviation, said electric planes could be the future of short-haul flights because they are cheaper to operate.
There is excitement about what the technology could offer regional communities, as the company is partnering with Rex Airlines on a trial in regional Australia.
The cost of electricity is much less than fuel and the cost of maintenance is much lower because it's a much more robust machine without almost any moving parts, he said.
There was the possibility of lower fares as a result of the reduction of half of tickets, according to Doral.
He said that reducing aircraft operation costs could make shorter routes more appealing to airlines, like Wagga Wagga to Canberra and Dubbo to Orange.
Geoff Breust was a Chief Executive Officer at Kendell Airlines and Rex Airlines.
He said Kendell offered the Wagga Wagga to Canberra service in the late 1980s but aircraft technology at the time was not what it is today.
The services ended up not being viable with the further development of roads and the costs associated with those kinds of services. Mr Breust applauded the work being done in the electric plane space, but said it would be challenging for short-haul trips to return.
He said that the small aircraft suitable for those types of flights were not being manufactured anymore because they were costly to build.
Even if they can reduce the operating cost by the use of electric motors, it still comes back to the viability of flying the route, according to Breust.
Dovetail Electric Aviation has partnered with Rex to retrofit some of the airline's regional planes with electric-propulsion engines, with a trial set to start in 2024.
As more people travel to them, Doral hoped that opening up more flight paths between regional centres would support local economies.
If you give these efficient, fast means of transportation to rural parts of the country and help them thrive, you can support the economic activity of those regions, he said.
Mr Breust said regionalisation could strengthen aviation in places like Wagga Wagga, Albury, Tamworth and Orange.
The populations of those cities will increase with the move away from the cities, and that will demand more and better services to those regional cities.