Geoffrey Thomas

VIRGIN Blue Airlines' announcement late last month that it would significantly expand its presence in Western Australia with the launch of two new destinations - Karratha and Newman - has significantly increased the level of competition in what is a very

The vision of creating one of the Asia-Pacific region's best airports - with 45 aerobridges and costing just $1 billion - has become a major challenge for Perth Airport.

Emirates has confirmed its A380 aircraft will service Western Australia on a daily basis following the launch of its aggressive expansion program this month, when the first of Emirates' eventual fleet of 58 A380s flew from Dubai to New York.

Perth travellers looking forward to having the best airport in the Asia Pacific region are in for a shock after the owner of Perth Airport admitted that its redevelopment will be built to 'Class C', rated as the minimum standard with acceptable delays.

Perth Airport chief executive Brad Geatches has conceded that the airport's $1 billion re-development would only deliver 25 contact bays out of a planned 45 in the new combined international and domestic terminal.

The rise and rise of Perth-based Skywest Airlines is quite possibly the best turnaround story in Western Australia's aviation history.

The headline writers have had a field day with the production delays to the 555-seat A380.

As Singapore-based low-cost carrier Tiger Airways prepares to enter the Australian domestic market, the US General Accounting Office is set to once again report to the US Congress on the state of the US airline system.

Despite the fact that air travel has never been as affordable relative to inflation and weekly earnings as it is today, many believe airlines are charging too much.

It just seems like just yesterday that Perth was abuzz with the America’s Cup defence, the Eagle’s first season was 11 wins and 11 losses and Michael Douglas won best actor for Wall Street.

Qantas Airways Ltd's regional operator QantasLink will increase its fleet of Boeing 717s from eight to 11 aircraft as part of a renewed operating agreement with National Jet Systems for another five years.

The launch of Ozjet’s Perth-Derby service last month is another example of the resource industry working with local authorities to introduce passenger service to Western Australian country towns.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has increased services and has a new schedule on its radar for Perth in 2008.

Emirates is hoping to capitalise on expected growth in the Australian travel market by increasing its capacity and doubling the frequency of its flights to 98 a week over the next seven years.

Westralia Airports Corporation continues to enjoy the state's boom conditions with passenger numbers climbing more than 12 per cent to 4 million in the half year to 31st December 2006.

In the most significant management move of the past 10 turbulent years in Western Australia’s airline industry, Skywest Airlines has lured National Jet Systems Western Australian chief Hugh Davin to lead its drive into the resource sector.

Hugh Davin has returned to Skywest Airlines to head its aggressive push into the resource contract market, after being lured from his position as head of business development at National Jet Systems in Western Australia.

Next month, Singapore Airlines will become the first airline operating into Perth to carry 500,000 international passengers in a year. The new benchmark underscores the incredible growth of air travel into and out of Perth Airport, with Singapore Airlines

Virgin Blue has opened up a range of fascinating possibilities for intra-state air services in Western Australia with its order for 20 Embraer 170 and 190 jets placed late last month.

The Red Bull Air Race world series, which is expected to develop into a major drawcard for tourists to Perth, will take flight this Sunday on the Perth foreshore.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) draft decision to deny authorisation of the planned code share between Qantas and Air New Zealand late last month is baffling and appears to ignore the global evidence that alliances benefit consum

Singapore Airlines has lifted the standard in passenger comfort with its latest, $477 million, cabin upgrade.

A new report on liberalisation has supported Emirates’ efforts to lift weekly services into Australia from 42 to 84.

The airline industry is being squeezed yet again, but this time it is by vastly differing passenger views, economics and political correctness over the issue of overweight travellers.

Last month, Air Transport World’s airline of the year winner, Cathay Pacific Airways, used the occasion of its 60th anniversary celebration in Hong Kong to unveil a radical upgrade of its first, business and economy class products.

It’s not the most powerful or glamorous jet at Perth Airport – that honour lies with Emirates’ and Singapore Airline’s 777s – but a real workhorse and the wings behind Western Australia’s V8 economy taking thousands of resource industry personnel to work

Qantas recently announced that one of its Boeing 767s will be fitted to allow mobile phone use in-flight.

Virgin Blue is morphing into a business airline and the results are on the board.

It has been a long, long time coming but Bangkok’s new state-of-the-art Suvarnabhumi Airport will finally open for business next week, replacing the overloaded and hopelessly out-of-date Don Muang Bangkok International Airport.

Perth to London with no jet lag? Fantastic and true on Emirates’ new daylight flight to Europe.

Finding value in European cities can be a real challenge, particularly with our weak dollar, but when you find it the feeling’s a bit like striking gold, or any other precious metal for that matter.

As Europe’s old guard or legacy airlines struggle to reduce costs to combat the rising tide of low-cost airlines (LCA), these new players are arming themselves with the legacy carriers’ last weapon in their armory – frills.