Qantas will suspend direct flights from Alice Springs to Perth from July 1 due to low passenger numbers.
The national carrier said it would continue to offer connections to Western Australia via Adelaide and Darwin.
Tourism Central Australia chief executive Danial Rochford said the move by Qantas was "not good news."
"To have that connection through to Perth was not only good for tourism, but it's also good for us living here locally to be able to connect to other parts of the country, which for a remote community is really important," he said.
Mr Rochford acknowledged there was "no doubt" the aviation industry had been under immense pressure as a result of the pandemic.
"That said, what we need from our carrier at the moment is to be backing remote Australia, not pulling out of remote Australia," he said.
"There is a community service obligation almost enshrined in much of the work our national carrier does, especially in remote and regional Australia."
Call for government support
In November 2018, Qantas announced it would cut its daily flights between Alice Springs and Perth to two per week.
Mr Rochford said the route was commonly used for corporate trips and would particularly affect some Central Australian organisations that conducted work over the border.
He said the tourism industry needed to support other airlines such as Rex, Bonza and Virgin as they increased their profiles across the country.
"We certainly [also] need the government's support here — often many of these airlines ask for some level of support to add a new route," Mr Rochford said.
He encouraged Central Australians who would be impacted by the loss of the Alice Springs to Perth Qantas route to contact the Northern Territory Tourism Minister to advocate for its continuation.
Mr Rochford said he was not concerned about the suspension or cancellation of other routes in and out of Alice Springs.
