Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says ‘no options are off the table’ for fixing Geraldton flight schedule

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says she will be taking the issue of reduced flight availability in Geraldton direct to Qantas, stressing “no options are off the table”. One measure flagged by the Minister in Parliament was the State Government bringing back regulated Geraldton-Perth flights, which hasn’t happened for the past 11 years. Ms Saffioti spoke in State Parliament on Thursday, addressing the issue which had been raised by Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton. The Minister said Geraldton had disproportionately been impacted by reduced services after Qantas announced it would operate a reduced schedule until March, and the city cannot be left behind as WA transitions to normal air travel. “We want more people to be able to access Geraldton by air,” she said. “We want Geraldton residents to have greater accessibility to flights so that they can see loved ones and attend medical appointments.” “From a Government perspective, we also want to ensure that we can fly public servants and Government representatives in and out.” Ms Saffioti told the Geraldton Guardian she would raise the issue with Qantas and was considering her options. “I have asked the Department of Transport to assess what options may be available to alleviate the current issues, and no options are off the table,” she said. One possible option Ms Saffioti mentioned in Parliament was the return of regulated Geraldton-Perth flights organised by the State Government. Although Geraldton currently only sees one airline operate flights between Geraldton and Perth, she acknowledged there was a reluctance to adopt regulations due to the lack of competition that would mean for the route in the future. Geraldton-Perth flights were deregulated in 2011 and Qantas’ first flights to Geraldton soon followed. Ms Saffioti also mentioned the Government’s regional airfare zone cap fare, reporting that 443 $199 tickets for one-way Geraldton flights were bought under the scheme in July and August. She said she wanted to see the issue of flight availability resolved so more could take advantage of the plan.