Shire of Broome commits to Inter Regional Flight Network expansion

Published on 05 April 2023

Broome will be one of four initial destinations in a new inter-regional flight network, which will include flights to Karratha, Geraldton and Port Hedland.

The services between the regional centres will be exclusively operated by Kimberley-based airline Aviair, which will operate De Havilland Dash-8 Q400 turbo-prop aircraft with a capacity of up to 76 passengers.

The IFRN is financially supported by a $4.05 million state-government funding, with another $3.25 million jointly funded by the Cities of Karratha and Greater Geraldton, the Town of Port Hedland and the Shire of Broome over four years.

The Shire’s four-year contribution to this pool will be $674,897, which was approved at the March 30 Ordinary Meeting of Council.

As well as providing more comfortable, quicker, and affordable links between Geraldton, the Pilbara and Kimberley, the IRFN will provide a significant boost to Broome’s economy, with 23 new direct Broome-based jobs at Aviair and the opportunity for the town to become a regional aviation maintenance, logistics and trading hub.

By avoiding the need to travel via Perth, IRFN will offer a quicker option for FIFO workers, and inter-regional tourism.

An economic impact assessment commissioned by Aviair suggests the 76-seat services running three times per week (11,856 seats annually) could result in up to $1.29 million to Broome’s annual tourism expenditure during shoulder and off-peak periods. 

The IRFN will initially feature three services: Broome-Port Hedland; Port Hedland-Karratha, and Karratha-Geraldton.