Broome flights to and from Perth on time only 55 per cent of the time between June and September

In Broome only 55 per cent of the 1253 Virgin and Qantas flights to and from Perth were on time between the start of June and the end of September. According to data from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, Virgin was the worst performer out of the two major airlines with only 48 per cent of the flights to and from Perth being on time. Qantas performed better but still had only 60 per cent of its 722 scheduled flights on time. In June, Broome Airport recorded the lowest percentage of on-time departures with just 30 per cent of outward bound flights on schedule and in August, Broome to Perth flight cancellations were the fourth-highest in Australia, sitting at 7.7 per cent. Airnorth faced similar problems recently with its TL333 flight route between Broome and Kununurra delayed 27 per cent of the time. Shire of Wyndham and East Kimberley president David Menzel, whose flight from Broome to Kununurra on Saturday November 12 was delayed four hours, said it made people feel nervous about booking flights. “It is so risky trying to fly between Broome, Kununurra and Darwin you really have to allow plenty of time in case something goes wrong — even an extra day,” he said. “You are pretty much expecting the flight is going to be late. It is extremely hard to do business, Zoom meetings can only do so much, sometimes you just need to be there.” Cr Menzel said in the past it used to be exceptional if a flight was rescheduled to another day, however now it seemed to be happening more regularly. “I have known people recently, they have been told a week before that their flights are not going that day so they need to fly a day earlier or a day later.” Despite the unreliability of air travel in the Kimberley, Cr Menzel said he had sympathy for airlines as they battled staff shortages due to the pandemic. “The airlines are doing extraordinary things to get people home and away,” he said. A spokesperson for Virgin Australia said COVID-19 cases, as well as usual winter illnesses, impacted the business’ ability to have flights arrive and depart on time over the past year. Qantas was contacted for comment.