WA budget allocates more than $5 million to support regional air services
Western Australia will invest more than $5 million in the 2026-27 State Budget to support regional air routes. The package includes $3.8 million for the Inter-Regional Flight Network and more than $1.3 million for two Kimberley services.
The Cook Labor Government will invest more than $5 million as part of the 2026-27 State Budget to ensure air services remain accessible and affordable for regional communities. The funding will extend subsidy support on key State-regulated regional routes, allowing airlines to maintain connectivity for regional communities through regular air services. An investment of $3.8 million will support Nexus Airlines' continued operation of the Inter-Regional Flight Network.
By providing direct links between Geraldton, Karratha, Port Hedland and Broome, the Inter-Regional Flight Network delivers time and cost savings for regional residents by removing the need to travel via Perth. Its operation supports the growth of Geraldton and Broome as key service centres by linking them to the FIFO hubs of the Pilbara, while improving access for other work-related, family, and medical travel, and boosting tourism opportunities.
More than $1.3 million will be invested to support the continued operation of Aviair's Kununurra-Halls Creek-Balgo and the Derby-Broome services. The funding will help maintain vital links for Kimberley residents to healthcare, government and other essential services, while reducing isolation for remote communities when seasonal flooding disrupts road access.
The funding follows a commitment by the Cook Labor Government to cover additional fuel costs for airlines operating on critical inter-regional routes. This includes Aviair-operated routes between Derby-Broome, Broome-Fitzroy Crossing-Halls Creek, Kununurra-Halls Creek-Balgo and Kununurra-Kalumburu, as well as the Nexus-operated Geraldton-Karratha-Port Hedland-Broome route. The Cook Labor Government has also extended further support to regional airlines to ensure capped airfares under the Regional Airfare Zone Cap scheme remain unchanged despite higher jet fuel costs.