Those planning a flight into Perth could face delays, with new data revealing the state’s main airport recorded the lowest percentage of flights landing on time of all capital cities in Australia.
The data from the Department of Infrastructure and Transport was released on Wednesday and reported 65.4 per cent of flights were on time in Perth throughout December, meaning they landed within 15 minutes of their scheduled window.
Half of the Qantas flights from Sydney to Perth did not land on time in December. Credit: Getty
Only 59 per cent of all Jetstar flights to Perth landed on time, but it was passengers flying Qantas from Sydney to Perth that fared the worst – just half of those flights to land in December made it in on time.
In the state’s regions, the Broome to Perth route had the lowest percentage of on time arrivals (47.9 per cent) and the lowest percentage of on time departures (39.7 per cent) nationally.
But departures from Perth fared slightly better, with 71.2 per cent considered to be on time. The route to Melbourne had the lowest percentage of flights leaving on time out of Perth, at 63.7 per cent
Perth to Kalgoorlie routes each way also had one of the highest cancellation rates nationally at 5.4 per cent, sitting just behind flights between Brisbane and Proserpine.
A Perth Airport spokesperson said the sequencing of aircraft landings was managed by Airservices Australia, a federal government agency.
“Airservices Australia face a difficult and complex task. One of the biggest challenges is the late departure of aircraft from their point of origin, meaning they arrive later than their scheduled time,” they said.
“Airservices Australia must then manage the scheduled arrivals along with finding space for the late arriving aircraft. This can have a significant flow-on effect, particularly during peak periods.
“Perth Airport is investing in a new parallel runway which will add significant capacity.”
In more positive news, Perth to Port Hedland and Darwin to Perth were in the top 10 flight routes for departures and arrivals respectively.
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