Fly Corporate (Canberra) is set to launch services to Dubbo in Australia's New South Wales, connecting the city with each of Brisbane International and Melbourne Essendon as it steps in the market niche left by the bankrupt JetGo Australia (Brisbane International).
The carrier has announced it will launch a 6x weekly Dubbo-Brisbane service on August 7, 2018. The service to Melbourne Essendon will operate 2x weekly from September 28, 2018. The airline has chosen the smaller airport in Melbourne over Melbourne Tullamarine or Melbourne Avalon due to its proximity to the Central Business District and lack of congestion.
All flights will be operated with Saab 340B(Plus) aircraft operated for Fly Corporate by its parent, Corporate Air (Australia) (FC, Canberra).
Dubbo lost its scheduled connections to Brisbane and Melbourne after JetGo Australia had suspended operations as it entered into administration on June 1. The termination of the carrier's activities was, in turn, prompted by a lawsuit filed by the Dubbo Regional Council in the Australian Supreme Court seeking the airline's liquidation over unpaid debts.
Since then, JetGo was ordered into liquidation in early July. The carrier reportedly owed AUD400,000 Australian dollars (USD297,000) to Dubbo and a further AUD850,000 to the City of Karratha.
According to the ch-aviation capacity module, Dubbo currently sees scheduled flights to each of Sydney Kingsford Smith (a total of 54x weekly operated by Rex - Regional Express and Qantas), Newcastle Williamtown (6x weekly operated by FlyPelican), Broken Hill (5x weekly operated by REX), and Canberra (3x weekly operated by FlyPelican).
In another development affecting regional aviation in New South Wales, the Australian government has confirmed it intends to keep a pool of slots at Sydney Kingsford Smith airport for the exclusive use of regional carriers providing services to smaller communities in the state.
