Airnorth (Australia) (TL, Darwin) is reportedly keen to expand its operations out of Perth International as a counterbalance to the wet-season downturn at its primary Darwin base, according to Aviation Week Network.
The outlet spoke to Airnorth Chief Operating Officer Simon Gibbons, who said fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) and charter work from cities like Perth were important sidelines for its core regular passenger flights, particularly during the Darwin wet season. He said the airline had recently moved some pilots and other staff there.
According to ch-aviation fleets data, Airnorth operates 11 aircraft - five E120s, three E170s, and three E190s (leased from Alliance Airlines (QQ, Brisbane International)). Its scheduled flights cover 16 airports, including Dili in Timor-Leste. Its scheduled services already link Perth with Kununurra and Darwin, and, from March 25, Alice Springs.
Analysis of ADS-B flight tracking data shows that Airnorth recently tasked at least one Embraer jet to work its Western Australia routes. Recent charter flights out of Perth include flights to Christmas Island and Truscott-Mungalalu. That airport, on the Anjo Peninsula in the far north Kimberley region, is on restricted-access Aboriginal land.
Perth is a major FIFO hub for airlines servicing the oil, gas, and mining sectors in Western Australia, with multiple carriers competing for lucrative contracts. Flight tracking data suggests Airnorth is only doing irregular FIFO work out of the city, and the airline does not yet have a base or aircraft regularly stationed there. There is some FIFO work out of Darwin, and also solid opportunities for other types of charter work. Darwin's wet season typically runs between November and April.
