Hinterland Aviation (OI, Cairns) is to assume service to Pormpuraaw and Kowanyama left vacant by the recent demise of Skytrans (QN, Cairns). According to Australian Aviation news, the carrier is in the process of amending its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to commence regular public transport (RPT) flights by January 21.
The carrier plans to offer 7x weekly flights from Cairns to the Cape York towns using a Cessna (single turboprop) 208B Grand Caravan in contrast to Skytrans which used a 4x weekly Dash 8-100 to ply the routes.
Rex - Regional Express (ZL, Wagga Wagga) has meanwhile postponed its own intentions for Cape York with plans to start flights from Cairns to Edward River and Kowanyama as well as Aurukun and Bamaga from mid-March. The carrier says consultations showed the communities were not yet ready for the operator's flights.
