Busselton Margaret River Airport is located less than 10 minutes’ drive from Busselton City Centre. Flights operating from the airport include Regular Passenger Transport (RPT) with Jetstar, FIFO (fly in fly out) services and private charters.
Thanks to sustained commitment from Jetstar, the State Government and the City of Busselton, a direct air service from Melbourne to Busselton was launched on 6 April 2022, marking the first time in 20 years that Jetstar had announced a new Australian domestic route. The first three years of the flights are predicted to bring in 60,000 passengers and inject $40 million into the local economy.
The City of Busselton is working to upgrade the existing Airport facilities, with the vision to facilitate air routes between interstate and international destinations. For more information on the current Airport Development Project, and Master Plan, visit the City of Busselton’s Airport website.
MRBTA Position Statement
MRBTA is committed to working with the City of Busselton and other industry partners to grow support for funding of new airport terminal infrastructure.
The benefits for the region and for the broader South West of having sufficiently developed airport infrastructure at Busselton are multiple. With regards to leisure visitation alone, the airport offers significant potential for the region to attract and service visitors from key interstate and international markets who are looking to immerse deeply in the destinations they visit, stay longer and spend more.
It pleasing to see that the current Airport Development Project is progressing, with critical improvements to the current terminal, such as the expansion of the departure lounge to be able to accommodate a full plane load of passengers, almost complete. However, while this will assist greatly to deliver the current RPT services, it does not provide for the anticipated growth in both RPT and FIFO flights into the future.
The lack of planning for facilities to support a smooth experience of both current and future passengers continues to be of concern. With the current infrastructure not being fit for purpose, we are concerned that the City of Busselton will begin to receive interest from airlines, but that it will not be in a position to progress agreements for new routes.
Given it will take some time to be able to deliver new infrastructure, it is crucial that planning commences now to ensure the region can capitalise on these opportunities as they present.
– Updated February 2023
For more information on MRBTA’s support for flights into Busselton Margaret River Airport, click here.
Visit the City of Busselton’s Airport website here.