Airservices Australia, which oversees air traffic control, said the decision to switch to single runway operations was not due to a lack of controllers but purely as a safety precaution.

Gate 3 at the airport will handle all Rex and Link Airways flights with fewer than 40 passengers, which do not require security screening, after federal funding for screening processes at regional airports ends on July 1. Qantas passengers will continue to use the screened departure gate.

The low-cost carrier’s problems with cancellations are compounded because it mostly flies ‘low frequency’ routes not serviced by its rivals – meaning customers often struggle to find alternative transport home.

The two airlines will appear at public hearings as the committee examines issues around the aviation, banking and social procurement sectors. Three days of hearings will be held in total: one in Toowoomba on 30 June, and two in Melbourne on 4-5 July.