Subsidy Deadline Approaches for Far West NSW Flights

New South Wales Government funding for scheduled passenger flights to Bourke (BRK), Lightning Ridge (LHG), and Walgett (WGE) ends in November 2025, with funding to continue the flights not yet secured.

Dubbo-based Air Link operates nine-passenger Piper Chieftans on its thrice-weekly flights between Dubbo (DBO) and Bourke, and Dubbo, Walgett and Lightning Ridge. At Dubbo, passengers continuing to Sydney (SYD) or beyond can connect to QantasLink or Rex flights. Bourke is 750 kilometres northwest of Sydney. Walgett and Lightning Ridge are similar distances. Air Link provides the only scheduled passenger flights from the three remote towns.

In 2019, the Far North West Joint Organisation (FNWJO), which includes Bourke, Cobar, and Walgett local government areas, secured an AUD2 million NSW Government grant to restart regular passenger services to Bourke, Cobar, Walgett, and Lightning Ridge. FlyPelican won the rights to operate to Cobar (CAZ) while Air Link picked up the remainder of the work.

Fly Pelican’s Cobar contract runs until September 2025, and Air Link’s contract runs until November 2025. In a March 19, 2025, social media post, Air Link says that “after that, there’s no guarantee of continued funding.”

The New South Wales Government says that subsidised air travel is important for the delivery of essential services such as health, childcare, justice, family and community services in western New South Wales. Equally, while service providers fly in, local residents also need to fly out for various reasons, including specialist medical care.

The New South Wales Government has asked the Joint Organisation of Councils to evaluate the services being offered. As a result, the three councils have retained a consultant to survey local residents to gauge community support for the flights.

“The goal is to understand the value of having direct flights to these communities and use the insights in the final report,” the post says.

The three local councils called on members of the public and users of the services to complete a survey to help inform the final report.