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Airnorth, the airline that links Broome and Kununurra to Darwin will suspend its NT services between Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. The service will cease from January 5. The airline's chief executive officer Michael Bridge says Airnorth has been negotiating with the NT Government for more than two years to get support for the service. He claims it has lost more than $1 million a year for the past three years on the route. The airline's final submission to the government wanted the government to commit to purchasing 351 tickets during the next 12 months, giving it an indirect subsidy of $213,000. |
The NT Government declined the offer and said it would look for other operators to take up the service. The government did however, pay the airline $52,000 to keep the services going during December. Airnorth had threatened to withdraw the service from December 1. Mr Bridge said Airnorth would review the situation in the first quarter of next year to see whether it was viable to reintroduce the service during the dry season, at which time there were more passengers. Airnorth has been the sole operator on the 'centre run' for the past 13 years. |
Originally the service was daily, but it is currently down to three services a week. Airnorth's national sales and marketing manager Andrew Dubyna said the move would have no effect on Broome and Kununurra. "In fact, if demand increases, we would be looking at improving services to the Kimberley," he said. |