Skywest airlines Geraldton to Melbourne flights announced

[Jarden S]

Skywest Airlines is poised to offer Midwest residents a weekly service from Geraldton to Melbourne, after negotiations with officials.

The regional airline is also likely to double capacity on routes to the Midwest, announcing that it plans to introduce 100-seat jet services from January.

Company chairman Jeff Chatfield said those services would include flights to Melbourne via Kalgoorlie.

Skywest runs a weekly service between the Goldfields and Victoria at present.

The announcements were part of Skywest's strategy "to expand Geraldton as a regional aviation hub", Mr Chatfield said.

Geraldton-Greenhough mayor Ian Carpenter said the deal "recognises Geraldton-Greenhough's emerging status as a major regional economic powerhouse".

"The Melbourne connection will also see a substantial new market get direct access to (the) Coral Coast region."

The airline will also start flying to Ravensthorpe next month, with the four-times-a-week service underpinned by a $900,000-a-year deal with First Quantum Minerals, the Canadian owners of the former BHP Billiton nickel mine.

Ravensthorpe will be part of the Perth-Esperance service, landing in Ravensthorpe on the return journey from the south-east town.

Skywest announced a codeshare deal with Virgin Blue in July to give the latter's passengers access to more WA regional towns.

That deal also foreshadowed co-operation between the airlines in tendering for the loss-making state-government subsidised routes which are operated at present by Skywest under a contract extension.

It will continue to operate those routes until February.

Mr Chatfield said the new expansion "reflects our ambition to cement our position as the leading airline in Western Australia

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