Skywest weighs in

WA airline Skywest has thrown down the gauntlet to QANTAS and Airnorth in terms of delivering a jet service to Kununurra.

And...QANTAS has announced a once a week service to begin in May next year.

Last week, Skywest chief executive officer Scott Henderson hosted a cocktail party at the Country Club to explain his company's attitude towards extending jet services into Kununurra.

He announced that the airline would be making three flights a week into Broome in its Fokker 100, 97-seat, five seats-wide jets.

On Monday, Wednesday and Saturday flights will depart Perth at 6am, arriving at Broome at 8.25am.

The return service will depart Broome at 2pm, arriving in Perth at 4.30pm.

It already provides the fly-in fly-out service for the Argyle Diamond Mine and is looking for more work for the jet and another that is on order.

Mr Henderson said that while he wasn't in Kununurra to announce a service, the company definitely 'had Kununurra on its radar screen'.

He said that since he joined the company 10 months ago it had pulled out of the less profitable routes, shed some staff and other staff had taken pay cuts.

Skywest's airfares, he said, were 10 percent less than any other regional airline.

The company had just raised $4 million in new capital and showed a $3.7 million profit.

The Broome flights would begin in October - the company's first move into the north of the State.

He said the State Government had not yet regulated services in the Kimberley.

The three airlines, QANTAS, Airnorth and Skywest, could not talk to each other for fear of breaking competition rules, so he urged the public, local government and other interested bodies to talk to each other and make suggestions about what they wanted to happen.

"Whatever happens it must be sustainable," Mr Henderson said.

"You don't want someone to come in for six months and then pull out.

"Whatever service is introduced, it must be sustainable through the wet season as well as the dry season."

He urged the Shire council to put forward a proposal.

Mr Henderson claimed his company now had international links and would forge links with ground based tourism operators such as hotels, fishing tours and helicopter flights in an effort to restimulate the tourism market.

The QANTASLink flights to Kununurra will begin on May 1 and continue through until September 4.

Bae 146 200/300 aircraft will be used each Saturday.

The flights will leave Perth at noon, arriving in Kununurra at 3.20pm.

The return flight will leave Kununurra at 4pm, arriving in Perth at 7.30pm.

The services will be direct Perth-Kununurra-Perth flights.

The Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley welcomed the QANTAS announcement.

Shire President Barbara Johnson said that the Shire had been working with QANTAS on this issue for several months and was pleased to see some positive progress.

She said that the Shire hoped that this announcement was just the start of improved air services and that the council and staff would be continuing to work hard to make sure that air travel to the East Kimberley is accessible and affordable.

While clearly enthusiastic about the QANTAS announcement, Cr Johnson indicated a strong preference for gradual growth in the provision of air services.

She said that while everyone wants excellent air services now, the Shire and the community needed to be careful to make sure that the service that was provided was sustainable in the longer term.

The community couldn't afford to attract jet services for a short period then have them pulled out because there was too much competition and not enough profit, Cr Johnson claimed.

Meanwhile, in the NT, Katherine Town Council has issued a media statement saying it is disappointed that Airnorth has reduced its services to the town.

The council claims there will be no regular passenger service to the town between late December and the end of February.