Boost for regional flights to keep cost-of-living support flowing

• $64.6 million funding boost for the Regional Airfare Zone Cap Scheme
• New investment will keep flying affordable for regional residents
• More than a quarter of a million regional zone cap fares flown in 18 months
• Further $29.3 million allocated for upgrades to regional and remote airstrips

Significant cost-of-living relief will continue to flow to regional residents through the 2024-25 State Budget, with the Cook Labor Government committing an additional $64.6 million to its flagship Regional Airfare Zone Cap (RAZC) scheme.

The RAZC scheme was a key election commitment from the WA Labor Government and has been enormously successful, helping thousands of regional residents manage the costs of flying to and from Perth since it was established in mid-2022.

The scheme caps the cost of airfares for regional residents year-round at $199 or $299 one-way on return flights to Perth for personal travel, and is delivered in partnership with Airnorth, Nexus Airlines, Qantas Airways, Rex, Skippers Aviation and Virgin Australia.

The new $64.6 million investment will extend the scheme until the end of 2025 - ensuring regional residents can continue to access affordable airfares throughout the Government's scheduled review of the initiative from mid-2025.

The major funding injection comes as the latest statistics show more than a quarter of a million capped airfares have now been flown since the scheme's inception.

A total of 254,844 capped airfares were flown in the first 18 months with Karratha, Port Hedland, Kalgoorlie and Broome seeing the highest usage of the scheme.

Karratha residents have taken the largest number of zone cap fares at 63,373, with Port Hedland, Kalgoorlie and Broome all seeing around 30,000 capped fares flown.

The Cook Labor Government will also deliver $21.3 million for upgrades to regional airstrips including Carnarvon, Onslow, Albany, East Kimberley and Eucla. A total of $8 million will be allocated to critical upgrades to the Carnarvon Airstrip, while $13.3 million has been committed to upgrades at East Kimberley, Albany, Eucla and Onslow pending the outcomes of funding agreements.

A further $8 million has also been allocated to the Aboriginal Community Airstrip Renewal Program. 

For more information on RAZC, visit www.farego.wa.gov.au

Comments attributed to Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:

"We established this scheme to help regional residents manage the cost of flying to and from Perth and this major injection in funding will ensure we continue to support families manage cost of living pressures.

"Flying to and from Perth for regional residents is not always a choice and we'd heard repeatedly from regional residents about the significant cost barrier when it came to flying to Perth for family reasons or to access essential services.

"Now, 18 months into the scheme, more than a quarter of a million capped airfares have been used by regional residents, which is a clear indication that this initiative is making a real difference to regional communities.

"By making air travel from the regions to Perth more affordable, our Government is helping to ease cost of living pressures, while building stronger regional communities and the State's aviation capacity."