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WA-based regional carrier Nexus Airlines is suspending its Kimberley route from next month.
The airline, which launched in 2023, wants to see more regulation on the Broome–Kununurra–Darwin route as it prepares to halt services on 1 September. Nexus cited aggressive competition from rival Airnorth for its decision, and said the route has become “financially unsustainable”.
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The move to suspend Kimberley services will not affect the rest of Nexus’ network, including Perth, Geraldton, Karratha and Port Hedland. Passengers on the northern routes will be given full refunds for the suspended flights.
“This is not a decision that we wanted to make, but given the increased capacity and aggressive pricing from our US owned competitor, it was necessary to suspend services on the Kimberley route and focus on further growth and expansion across the rest of the Nexus Airlines network,” managing director Michael McConachy said in a statement.
“The Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley have publicly advised that they have contacted the State Government to seek consideration of the regulation for the Kimberley route. The Shire recognises the importance of reliable and cost-effective air services in supporting regional liveability, tourism growth and economic development.
“Regulation of a regional air route ensures that regional communities are provided with sufficient capacity at a reasonable price and within agreed levels of reliability. It is not about supporting any one particular airline.”
Nexus’ decision to pull its service will return Airnorth’s monopoly on the northern route after an extended price and capacity war between the two airlines, which has driven down airfares.
Speaking to the ABC, McConachy said that “neither operator [is] getting great numbers on board or good load factors”.
“The capacity has gone up by, in some instances, over about 300 per cent on the route.”
“Whilst we’ve seen a definite increase in the number of passengers flying on that route, that’s more in the order of sort of 30 to 40 per cent. The numbers just don’t stack up long-term.”
In a statement, Airnorth acknowledged the end of Nexus’ services and said it would continue its own flights on the route.
“As the longest-serving airline in Northern Australia, Airnorth remains firmly committed to the Kimberley region and continues to operate scheduled services between Darwin, Kununurra, and Broome,” a spokesperson said.
“We have proudly supported this important route for more than 25 years, connecting remote communities, supporting regional tourism, and providing essential travel options for both business and leisure passengers.
“We will continue to work closely with our partners and stakeholders to ensure dependable air access across Northern Australia.”
The news comes a month after the WA government launched a subsidised fare scheme to encourage Broome tourism.
More than 4,000 subsidised seats have been made available on Virgin Australia flights from Perth to Broome and on Nexus services from Geraldton, Karratha and Port Hedland to Broome, adding to 16,400 discounted airfares already available through the 2025 Affordable Airfares Program.
The move by the state government followed the news that Jetstar Asia would be shuttered from the end of last month, ending an A320 service that linked Broome to Singapore.
