A drop of about 17,000 passengers arriving and departing in the 2018-19 financial period was recorded in the Bureau of Infrastructure Transport and Regional Economics' domestic aviation activity report.

A statement from Wagga City Council accounts the rapid decline to JetGo cancelling its services to Brisbane and the Gold Coast in May last year.

There had been 18,556 JetGo passengers in Wagga during the 2017-18 financial year. After the airline ceased operations through Wagga, the loss had been reflected in the following year's result.

Despite this, the routes to Sydney and Melbourne by other airlines are performing as usual, said the statement.

Aviation expert Neil Hansford, of Strategic Aviation Solutions, said it is a reasonable suggestion that JetGo affected passenger movements at the airport. But the need to travel to metropolitan cities is also on the decline, he said.

"JetGo, for all the fantasy that is was, would be affecting the city's traffic," he said.

"With the improvement to facilities at Wagga Base Hospital, the necessity for people going to Sydney for treatment or specialist opinions is being reduced, which would see a reduction in flights.

Mr Hansford said the drought could be reducing discretionary travel as well.

The likelihood of Wagga Airport regaining the thousands of passengers lost is "very low," said Mr Hansford who suggested the city will also struggle to find services connecting residents to other capital cities.

He said residents should support its current services rather than complaining about fares because a savvy passenger who flies outside peak times can come out with a better deal.

"Because of the distance involved, your chance at attracting jet services would be low," he said.

"Wagga doesn't have sufficient population to justify the low fares of carrying operating services to the Gold Coast ... there is not a big enough catchment area. We saw what happened to JetGo when they tried.

"I always say to people in rural centres that when they go to bed tonight, pray that when they get up tomorrow that Qantas and Rex are still there because if those services were to go, they would not be replaced."

Wagga councillor Dan Hayes said the council needs to consider how its residents can access other cities and vice versa as the push towards 100,000 ramps up.

However the decision to add more flight services comes down to the airlines and not the council, he said.

At the moment, Cr Hayes said there needs to be a focus on operating an airport that meets the airlines' needs and is welcoming for passengers.