Virgin looks to cut flight numbers
Passenger flights servicing Busselton could drop to one per week, despite their growing popularity.
Virgin Australia has applied to the Department of Transport to remove its twice-weekly triangulated service between Perth, Busselton and Albany because of “unsustainable performance”.
The City of Busselton and Geographe Bay Tourism Association both said they are disappointed as passenger numbers on the Busselton leg were growing. GBTA chief executive Sharna Kearney said passenger numbers had increased by 15 per cent in the past year, suggesting demand for the route was rising.
“We are disappointed as this reduces access to the region, ” she said.
“While the vast majority of our visitors self-drive, the flights provide another option for those wishing to save time.”
Virgin Australia has operated three services per week between Busselton and Perth since acquiring Skywest in May 2013.
Despite efforts to stimulate the market through airfare pricing and promotional activity, the Albany and Esperance routes continued to sustain “unacceptable losses”, the airline said.
A spokesman told the Times the company would continue to offer the weekly direct service to Busselton to ensure the community had access to vital air services.
Virgin Australia has entered a 21-day consultation period with the community and the Department of Transport, which is seeking feedback from stakeholders before making a final decision.
City of Busselton community and commercial services director Naomi Searle said the news was “disappointing”, but the City’s focus was on attracting direct flights to and from the east coast where market demand already existed and would increase significantly in the future.
“Pending the outcome of the airport business case, which is being reviewed by the State Government now, it is our intention to pursue regular interstate passenger flights, ” she said.
“Once established, these flights may make truncation through Perth more commercially viable for carriers.”
Ms Searle said the City had been cross-subsidising the Virgin flights by partially absorbing costs such as security screening, so the reduction in services would actually improve the financial position of the airport.
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