{"id":606314,"date":"2026-04-14T13:32:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/606314\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T13:32:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:32:15","slug":"fuel-crisis-hits-wa-tourist-route-as-jetstar-suspends-sydney-busselton-flights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/606314\/","title":{"rendered":"Fuel crisis hits WA tourist route as Jetstar suspends Sydney-Busselton flights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Travellers arriving in WA’s South West from Sydney say they are baffled by Jetstar’s decision to suspend the route.<\/p>\n

The low-cost carrier has announced it will halt its Busselton to Sydney service from June to September 22, citing high fuel costs driven by the war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

The first direct flight between WA’s premier food and wine region and Sydney was launched in 2024.<\/p>\n

A Qantas Group spokesperson said there had not been enough demand to support the service.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Local authorities had hoped the route would boost the numbers of international tourists travelling to WA’s South West. (AAP: Angela Brkic)<\/p>\n

“We know this is frustrating for customers, and we look forward to restarting the service later this year,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

Touching down in Busselton on Tuesday afternoon, travellers said they were shocked by Qantas’s call.<\/p>\n

“It’s very disappointing for me,” Annie McMahon said.<\/p>\n

Having recently moved to the region, she uses the regular flights to visit one of her sons who is living in Sydney.<\/p>\n

\"Annie<\/p>\n

Annie McMahon said the suspension would make it difficult to visit her son in Sydney. (ABC South West WA: Georgia Loney)<\/p>\n

“The flight today was full, so I can’t understand why they’d be cancelling it, to be honest,” Ms McMahon said.<\/p>\n

“I’ve never noticed it without plenty of people on it.”<\/p>\n

She said the expense of having to travel up to Perth before flying would force her to reconsider future travel.<\/p>\n

Qantas blames fuel costs<\/p>\n

Increasing fuel costs have forced the airline to reduce domestic capacity by 5 per cent between May 18 and the end of June.<\/p>\n

The company’s fuel bill is tipped to increase by $600 million to $800 million in the first half of this year.<\/p>\n

The spokesperson said impacted customers would be contacted directly and rebooked via alternative routes or offered a refund.<\/p>\n

The airline will continue to offer three direct flights a week between Melbourne and Busselton, with Qantas’s charter operations supporting the mining industry not affected by the cuts.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Roger Cook said he was disappointed by Qantas’s decision to cut the flight route. (ABC News: Courtney Withers)<\/p>\n

Premier slams ‘opportunistic’ move<\/p>\n

Premier Roger Cook took aim at the airline for its decision, accusing Qantas of walking away from the WA tourism industry.<\/p>\n

“This is the same airline that is very happy to jack up prices whenever it suits them, regardless of fuel supply,” Mr Cook said.<\/p>\n

“It sounds as it was a bit of an opportunistic decision by Qantas to cut those sectors.<\/p>\n

“We should be walking together to support our tourism industry, not walking away from it.”<\/p>\n

\"Busselton<\/p>\n

Multi-million-dollar investment in the airport has been a crucial element in boosting the South West’s international visitor numbers. (ABC News: Bridget McArthur)<\/p>\n

Immediate impact for businesses<\/p>\n

With international and interstate visitors generally staying longer and spending more than local visitors, the suspension is a blow to the region’s operators.<\/p>\n

Shelter Brewing chief executive Paul Maley, whose 650-seat brewery and restaurant is a major attraction on the Busselton foreshore, said the news was devastating.<\/p>\n

“Those flights, along with the Melbourne route, play a key role in our visitor mix,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We believe we’ll see an immediate impact when those flights stop.”\"Shelter<\/p>\n

Shelter Brewing chief executive Paul Maley said the route’s suspension would have an immediate impact on the business. (ABC South West WA: Georgia Loney)<\/p>\n

With local travellers also rethinking trips and spending due to rising fuel costs, he said the reduction in visitors would be a double blow.<\/p>\n

“We’re obviously really well-visited by Busselton locals, but tourism is a critical part of our business,” Mr Maley said.<\/p>\n

“We’re hopeful the flights will return in summer.”<\/p>\n

Push for flights to resume<\/p>\n

Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association chief executive Sharna Kearney said there had been strong demand for the Sydney\u2013Busselton service.<\/p>\n

“Those flights bring in about 500 people to our region each week, which is really important over those winter months,” Ms Kearney said.<\/p>\n

“It’s typically one of the quietest periods of the year; occupancy is typically running between 30 and 50 per cent.<\/p>\n

\"Margaret<\/p>\n

Sharna Kearney says demand for the Busselton\u2013Sydney flights has been strong. (ABC South West WA: Georgia Loney)<\/p>\n

“So any loss in visitors is going to be acutely felt by the industry.”<\/p>\n

She said the route’s suspension reflected the global impact of the ongoing fuel crisis, rather than the route’s future viability.<\/p>\n

“We know there were very few seats available on those flights going in and out of the region,” Ms Kearney said.<\/p>\n

“We want to see the flight reinstated as soon as it’s practical.”<\/p>\n

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