Hedland-to-Bali flights stall

The private operator of Port Hedland’s airport is still seeking a carrier to resume international flights to Bali, two months after it was hoped they would commence.

The Town of Port Hedland and Port Hedland International Airport Group of Companies in August last year released a joint statement about the impending resumption of Bali and Brisbane flights.

It was hoped those flights would begin prior to Christmas, but Town of Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter last week revealed a start date for the Bali service was yet to be confirmed.

The Hedland-to-Brisbane flight is being trialled by Qantas until March.

A Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts spokesperson told Business News no formal application for the service had been received.

“International airlines operating to all Australian airports require the necessary safety and security approvals from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Department of Home Affairs,” they said.

“To re-establish a permanent, ongoing border clearance capability to service regular, scheduled international flights, the airport operator at Port Hedland will also need to apply to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts under the New and Redeveloping International Airport Framework.

“This framework requires that the airport operator makes a formal application and provides an evidence-based business case against the national interest assessment criteria, for consideration by the Australian government.”

The spokesperson said Australian Border Force, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Australian Federal Police would provide advice on the proposal once received.

A PHIA spokesperson said the airport was still in discussions with domestic and international airlines to resume the route serviced by Virgin prior to COVID-19.

Virgin was due to resume the service but scrapped those plans in mid-2022, blaming low demand.

Speaking at last week’s council meeting, Mr Carter said the service, initially pencilled in prior to Christmas, would be worth the wait.

“The Bali flights are on their way. There are a few issues, not just with customs but with the aircraft as well and the operator of that aircraft,” he said.

“They keep delaying it and putting it back, putting it back, putting it back.

“It is a long process it is a hard process but as soon as it is up and running the whole community is going to enjoy it.”

Issues with Border Force staffing were also raised at the meeting.

A Civil Aviation and Safety Authority spokesperson confirmed it had granted an overseas airline rights to fly to Port Hedland.

Flight connectivity in the north-west has long been a sticking point for residents.

Singapore flights to Broome are yet to resume after being cancelled during COVID-19, and Melbourne flights to Kununurra proposed in 2019 have not yet taken off.

A deal for Brisbane and Singapore flights between the City of Karratha and JetGo fell through in 2018 when the carrier went bust, costing ratepayers thousands of dollars.

Karratha has also jockeyed with Exmouth for Christmas Island flights.

Mr Carter has long harboured ambitions to run an airline from the Pilbara to Vietnam, Singapore and Manila, and got as far as opening an office in Perth, but no such service has ever eventuated.

Last year, the owners of Kununurra-based Aviair commenced an intrastate flight network connecting the north-west towns to Perth, Geraldton and Darwin through a new service named Nexus Airlines.

And Exmouth in November was blindsided when Qantas axed its direct Melbourne service at the same time the national carrier launched the new Hedland-to-Brisbane route.