Western Australians now have more choice when flying between regional destinations, with the launch of Nexus Airlines.
Using a fleet of Dash 8 Q400 turboprop aircraft, the brand new regional carrier aims to connect communities across WA with affordable and reliable air services. It brings more competition to destinations such as Geraldton, Broome and Kununurra.
Here’s what you need to know about the new airline flying in Western Australia…
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Where does Nexus Airlines fly?
Nexus Airlines began operating last Monday on the Geraldton-Karratha-Port Hedland-Broome route, which is supported by the WA government under the Inter-Regional Flight Network. The carrier has a guaranteed monopoly on this route until June 2027.
The Karratha-Port Hedland-Broome route was previously operated by Nexus Airlines’ parent company, Aviair, using a smaller aircraft. The Geraldton-Karratha sector is a brand new route that was not previously served, meaning passengers would have to travel via Perth with either Qantas or Virgin Australia.
From today, Nexus Airlines begins services on the Perth-Geraldton route where it will offer up to two flights per day in competition with Qantas.
On 28 July 2023, Nexus will launch its “Kimberley Route” from Broome to Darwin via Kununurra. This route goes head-to-head with Darwin-based Airnorth.
Aviair continues to operate its other existing regional routes including Newman-Port Hedland and Broome-Derby under the Aviair brand.
The Nexus Airlines fleet
Nexus Airlines exclusively flies Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. Many QantasLink customers in eastern Australia would be familiar with these turboprop aircraft as QantasLink uses them on most regional flights out of Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns.
Nexus already has two Dash 8 Q400s in active service. Two more will enter the airline’s fleet shortly. These planes have 76 Economy Class seats.
All of Nexus Airlines’ aircraft previously flew for Air Baltic, based in Latvia.
How much do Nexus Airlines flights cost?
The cost of an airfare depends on the route, your travel date and the type of fare you purchase. Nexus Airlines offers four fare types, in order from least to most expensive:
- NexNow (no changes permitted)
- NexLink (rescheduling permitted for a fee)
- NexBest (refunds, credits, name changes and rescheduling permitted for a fee)
- NexLevel (refunds, credits, name changes and rescheduling permitted at no cost)
All Nexus Airlines tickets include a 23kg checked baggage allowance, as well as snacks & drinks on board the flight.
Tickets on routes such as Perth-Geraldton and Darwin-Kununurra start from $199 one-way. You could expect to pay from $235 for Broome-Kununurra, $349 for Broome-Darwin or $422 for Geraldton-Karratha.
If you feel like doing a “milk run” up the west coast of Australia from Perth to Broome via Geraldton, Karratha and Port Hedland, this journey starts from $552 one-way. The trip takes 6 hours and 10 minutes, including all of the stops, and would be completed on the same aircraft. (This would be a cool alternative to QantasLink’s Queensland milk run!)
Nexus Airlines also has a Regional Fare Scheme for permanent residents of regional WA travelling to Perth for personal reasons.
NexusGO: A frequent flyer program with a difference
Nexus Airlines has a frequent flyer program of sorts, called “NexusGO”. But it’s not your traditional loyalty program with points and elite status tiers.
Instead of rewarding travellers with points, the NexusGO program supports regional communities. Whenever someone flies with Nexus Airlines, both the departing and arrival port each receive 1 NexusGO point. These points are then “redeemable on sponsorship opportunities for each corresponding town”.
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