City of Karratha secures international and East Coast flights

Under the agreement Jetgo would operate regular passenger transport services twice weekly to Singapore and also twice weekly to Brisbane.

City of Karratha Mayor Peter Long said new service could commence by mid-2018, subject to regulatory approvals and mandatory modifications to the airport terminal.

"This is an extremely exciting time for the City of Karratha and Karratha Airport passengers who will soon be able to fly directly to Asia and the East Coast with the introduction of this new service."

"We consistently receive feedback from the community that they want international and interstate connectivity from Karratha Airport and we have been working hard to secure additional route options."

"In a recent online survey conducted by the City, of more than 1,000 people, 96 per cent of respondents said they would take advantage of a direct service to Singapore."

"This new service is a fantastic opportunity to market our region to an international and interstate audience with the potential of stimulating economic activity and aiding in the development of the local tourism industry."

"We will now move into the next stage of making this service a reality which includes undertaking some terminal modifications required by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and securing the necessary regulatory approvals," he added.

Jetgo Managing Director Paul Bredereck said the Brisbane-Karratha-Singapore service offered new niche opportunities for the airline.

"The agreement with the City of Karratha would underpin Jetgo moving up from its current fleet of Embraer ERJ regional jets in the 37 to 50 seat market segment to the larger 88 seat Embraer E175. This is a logical step for our business and builds on five and a half years of jet operations, including domestic airline services along with domestic and international jet charter services."

"We have selected the Embraer E175 due to a combination of size, payload-range, cargo capacity, economics and the ready supply of local expertise due to existing E-170 and E-190 operators in Australia. It also builds upon an already strong relationship between Jetgo and Embraer."

"Jetgo is very much looking forward to developing this partnership with the City of Karratha at a time the mining industry is showing strong signs of recovery."

Further details about the service including scheduling and ticket prices will be released in the coming months.