Air services in Western Australia

Aviation plays a key role in connecting remote and rural areas in Western Australia with Perth, as well as catering for local communities, the resource and corporate sectors, and the tourism and leisure markets. With a total area of over 2.5 million square kilometres and a population of over 2.5 million people WA relies heavily upon air services.

The State's vastness, isolated country towns, limited nearby alternative air services and considerable volume of mining operations make WA unique.

Whether for leisure, business or medical purposes, for many WA regional communities air travel is often the preferred alternative to driving vast distances. Furthermore, as a State of significant natural resources and mining activities WA depends on air services to meet the needs of the resource sector for its fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workforce.

From a tourism perspective, interstate and international flights also foster tourism growth in WA by transporting visitors to various regional hubs in the State.

Note: The RPT air service maps represent pre-COVID-19 pandemic air routes and are subject to change during the COVID-19 crisis.

	Regional RPT airports map (2020)	Kb
	Fully regulated RPT air routes map (2020)	Kb
	Fully and lightly regulated RPT air routes map (2020)	Kb
	Lightly regulated RPT air routes map (2020)	Kb

In view of the objectives of the Western Australian State Aviation Strategy, the State Government has developed a policy to support the social and economic resilience of communities through safe, affordable, efficient and effective aviation services.

The State Government's policy objectives for intrastate regular public transport (RPT) air routes in WA are to:

• Ensure an adequate level of RPT air services on regional routes in WA;
• Foster competition on RPT routes, potentially leading to reduced airfares, more frequent services and greater choice for consumers;
• Ensure charter air services do not detract from the viability of RPT air services;
• Minimise costs on the resources sector and charter operators in WA;
• Reduce administrative 'red tape'; and
• Minimise direct costs to the State.

Governance of intrastate air routes

The Minister for Transport has powers under the Transport Coordination Act 1966 to license aircraft and place conditions on aircraft licenses to control where and when airlines may fly within the State. Any condition placed on an aircraft licence may refer to the provision of RPT services, charter services, or both where applicable.

Under the Western Australian Transport Coordination Act 1966 and the Transport Coordination Regulations 1985 the Minister for Transport has the authority to issue aircraft licences for up to 12 months, free of charge, to airlines operating within the State for commercial purposes (hire or reward), other than for medical emergency purposes.

The purpose of the Act and Regulations is to ensure that Western Australians are provided, as far as is practicable, with reliable, efficient and economic transport services.

All aircraft owners operating commercial passenger services within Western Australia are required to hold a WA Aircraft Licence unless exempted under the Transport Coordination (Part III Exemptions) Order 2016.  The Exemption Order, initially gazetted by the State Government on 15 July 2016, was revised and the amended version gazetted on 22 December 2020.

The exemption order reduces the regulatory burden on aircraft operators for aircraft licensing in WA.

An aircraft is exempt from Part III of the Act if -

(a) it is being operated to carry people or goods on a flight that starts and finishes at the same airport and does not land at any other airport; or
(b) it is a helicopter being operated to carry people to or from their workplace and the people themselves do not pay for the flight; or
(c) it is being operated solely for any of these purposes -

(i) aerial mustering;
(ii) aerial spraying;
(iii) crop dusting;
(iv) spreading fertiliser or seed;
(v) spreading baits to control animals;
(vi) aerial photography or surveying;
(vii) spotting whales or fish;
(viii) providing medical services;

or

(d) it is an unmanned aircraft; or
(e) it is being operated on a flight to or from an airport not listed. Refer to Transport Co-ordination Act (Part III Exemptions) Order 2020 (below) for the list of airports.

View the Transport Coordination Act (Part III Exemptions) Order 2020 (below) for more information.

Aircraft licence applications can be made by completing the application form downloadable below and returning it to DoT.

Under the Transport Coordination Act 1966, aircraft licences for fully regulated air routes may be issued from 1 to 5 years at the discretion of the Department.

For more information on aircraft licences, airlines can contact the Department on (08) 6551 6197 or by emailing us, refer to full details in the table below.

	Transport Co-ordination Act (Part III Exemptions) Order 2020	Kb
	Application for an Aircraft Licence	Kb

Air routes in WA which have insufficient passenger demand to support airline competition are regulated by the State Government by granting monopoly rights to a single airline to operate on a particular RPT route. Currently, air routes to and from the following regional airports in WA that receive RPT air services are fully regulated.

	Fully regulated RPT air routes map (2020)	Kb
	Fully and lightly regulated RPT air routes map (2020)	Kb

The following RPT routes to and from Perth are lightly regulated by the State Government:

	Lightly regulated RPT air routes map (2020)	Kb
	Fully and lightly regulated RPT air routes map (2020)	Kb

The State Government's long-standing objective has been to ensure that charter air services do not detract from the viability of RPT air services in WA as a matter of public interest.

The State Government's position is to ensure the viability of RPT services for regional communities, while also seeking to meet the needs of the resources companies and minimise any cost on the resources and charter industries. In the context of seeking to balance both the needs of the resource industry and the needs of the community, the objectives of the DoT's charter policy are to:

• Maintain an adequate level of air services to regional communities;
• Foster economic development for the resources sector in WA;
• Minimise costs for the resources and charter industries; and
• Adopt a consistent and transparent State Government policy in the interest of fair charter assessment and management.

For more details on charter air operations in WA please refer to the Charter Policy below  

To apply for a closed charter service on RPT routes complete the application form below and submit the application to DoT via aviation@transport.wa.gov.au

Charter operators should note that:

• Assessment of charter applications may take 4-6 weeks.
• Special conditions may be placed on the licence of charter operators in line with the Charter Policy.
• An application for a closed charter service operating on an RPT air route may be given a temporary approval (e.g. 3 months) while further assessment is undertaken to determine any potential impact on the RPT air service.

	Charter policy (extract from Review of Regulated Regular Public Transport Air Routes in WA: Final report 2015)	Kb
	Charter Air Services application form	Kb
	Chartering of aircraft on regional regular public transport air routes circular

The existing 2015 State Aviation Strategy outlines the State’s framework for policy setting and future planning and investment in Western Australian international and domestic air services and airport infrastructure. A copy of the report can be downloaded below.

	Review of Regulated Regular Public Transport Air Routes in WA: Final report (2015)	Kb
	Review of Regulated Regular Public Transport Air Routes in WA (Position paper) (2014)	Kb

Note: The RPT air service maps represent pre-COVID-19 pandemic air routes and are subject to change during the COVID-19 crisis.