THE State Government has defended its decision to extend the exclusive Qantaslink contract for the Brisbane-Roma-Charleville run for another two years.

Goups such as the Toowoomba Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE) had called for the deregulation of the Roma route.

"The decision here is a pretty easy one from our point of view - that flights need to be increased so residents through the region have greater access," TSBE CEO Shane Charles said.

However a spokesperson for the Minister for Transport and Main Roads said while they supported deregulating routes it is vital that regional communities retain access to air services.

"Contracts were due to expire in March 2013 so in order to allow a proper review of deregulating these routes and to ensure continuity of services for regional Queensland, all contracts were extended," the spokesperson said.

"This will give us enough time to work with the industry and local community to determine whether these routes can be commercially viable with more than one operator."

COMPARISON TEST

cheapest flights Brisbane to Roma on December 20 is $152 (regulated route)

cheapest flights Brisbane to Emerald on December 20 is $106 (deregulated route)

On the same day, cheapest flights Emerald to Brisbane is $279 while the cheapest fare Roma to Brisbane $364.