WA international aviation levels nears complete recovery

The return of Singapore Airlines’ fourth daily service to Perth marks a milestone in Western Australia’s recovery from the pandemic, with the State’s global aviation network nearly fully restored.

Supported by the WA Government’s $75 million Aviation Recovery Fund (ARF) and delivered as part of the State’s Reconnect WA strategy, Perth’s international aviation capacity has now recovered to 87 per cent of pre-COVID levels, as of July 2023.

Singapore Airlines’ return to Perth post-pandemic was supported by the ARF, with the fourth daily Singapore – Perth service to bring an extra 52,000 inbound passengers to the State every year, with an estimated economic impact of $16 million.

The fourth daily service, to begin in March next year, will also boost connectivity with key international visitor and trade markets like China, Japan, India and the United Kingdom.

The full return of Singapore Airlines’ Perth service comes after the WA Government, in partnership with Perth Airport, used the ARF to secure the return of services with 14 other airlines since border restrictions lifted, including with key global destinations like Auckland, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.

The WA Government also leveraged the ARF to secure a new Manila service and continues to explore opportunities to further expand WA’s international connections.

Singapore is WA’s second largest tourism market, with an estimated 107,000 visitors travelling from Singapore in 2019.

Interstate flights into WA in July 2023 reached 100 per cent of pre-COVID levels, indicating full interstate aviation capacity recovery has also been achieved.