- Regional Airfare Zone Cap scheme passes 500,000 discounted airfares
- State Government initiative makes flights to and from Perth more affordable for regional residents
- Australian-first scheme supports the social and economic development of the regions
Regional residents continue to embrace the State Government's ground-breaking Regional Airfare Zone Cap (RAZC) scheme, with more than half a million discounted airfares now flown.
The scheme is one of the WA Labor Government's key cost-of-living initiatives, supporting regional families to manage the high cost of air travel to and from Perth.
Since the RAZC scheme launched in July 2022, a total of 543,747 capped airfares have been flown.
RAZC provides a year-round price cap on return airfares for regional residents travelling to Perth for personal reasons, including specialist appointments and connecting with family and friends.
The scheme reduces the participating airlines' resident fare prices to the zone cap fare of either $199 or $299 one-way when flights are booked as a return trip originating in the regions.
Regional residents can still take advantage of fares that may be lower than the zone cap fares, while knowing that whenever they need to travel, their return flights to Perth won't exceed the zone cap price.
Prior to RAZC, regional residents, particularly in the Pilbara and Kimberley, faced fares exceeding $1,000 for one-way trips to Perth, make flying unaffordable for many.
The State Government has committed more than $109 million to RAZC including an additional $4 million six-month extension announced in January to support the scheme until June 2026.
For more information on RAZC, visit www.farego.wa.gov.au
Comments attributed to Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"To have passed the half a million milestone on the number of fares flown shows that the Regional Airfare Zone Cap scheme has delivered a practical and popular solution to the long-running concern of affordable airfares for regional residents.
"This scheme is saving regional families thousands of dollars and giving people peace of mind that if they need to travel for urgent family or personal reasons, they won't be stung with high prices.
"Our commitment to the scheme has ensured it continues to provide cost-of-living relief to people who have built a life in the regions, reducing their isolation and giving them the security of year-round capped pricing to visit Perth for personal reasons."
