Kalgoorlie-Boulder has the second-most popular route for the Regional Capped Airfares Scheme, with nearly 15,000 residents taking part in the scheme as $20.7 million was allocated to the program in Thursday’s Budget.
The Regional Airfares Zone Scheme makes regional airfares more affordable for residents by capping the cost of one-way flights to and from Perth at $199, or $299 when booked as a return flight.
Karratha continues to be the most popular route, followed by Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Port Hedland.
The State Government on Friday released the scheme’s latest figures, which showed capped flights continued to grow in popularity, with 40,000 sold across the March quarter.
“The third-quarter results are the highest since the scheme began in July 2022, and takes the total number of capped airfares sold under the scheme to 108,662,” the State Government said.
“The scheme received a significant boost in the 2023-24 State Budget handed down (on Thursday), with $20.7m additional funding being allocated to the program.”
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said with cost-of-living pressures continuing to have an impact, the Government’s capped airfares scheme was saving regional families and residents thousands of dollars at a time when they needed it most.
“The fact is for many regional families and residents, having to fly to Perth is not a choice, and the significant cost of flying places pressure on household budgets,” she said.
“This scheme is helping alleviate some of that pressure.
“The continued growth of the scheme in the third quarter is a clear indication that regional Western Australians value this program and the significant savings they are making on air travel.”