The regional communities of Carnarvon, Monkey Mia and the Northern Goldfields will benefit from five-year agreements for regulated regular public transport (RPT) air services, signed between the State Government, Regional Express (Rex) and Skippers Airlines separately.
From July 2, 2018, RPT air services on the Perth-Carnarvon-Monkey Mia air route will be provided by Rex. Carnarvon will receive 12 air services a week each way, resulting in a 20 per cent increase in frequency, while Monkey Mia will receive a 50 per cent increase to six return flights per week.
Additionally, two different departure times from Perth and Carnarvon will be offered for weekday services, allowing more options for those travelling to and from Perth.
The Northern Goldfields air routes will continue receiving regular air services provided by Skippers Aviation, with three flights a week operating between Perth and Laverton, Leonora, Meekatharra, Mount Magnet and Wiluna.
The Department of Transport will manage the agreements with the airlines. As part of operating on a regulated RPT air route, both airlines will report monthly to the State Government on a range of information including aircraft passengers, airfares, route development and stakeholder engagement.
Both airlines will be required to attend two Community Consultation Groups with key community and industry stakeholders each year in their respective air route region, which has proven successful on other regulated air routes.
All parties will have the opportunity to discuss the key route statistics and the overall service performance at these meetings, which are chaired by the Department of Transport.
Flight schedules and fares on both air routes will be available soon. For more information on the Perth-Carnarvon-Monkey Mia air route, visit http://www.rex.com.au and for information on the Northern Goldfields air routes, visit http://www.skippers.com.au
Image: aeroprints.com [CC BY-SA 3.0 or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons