Flying high
Well...lookie here.
After years at nothing better than stall speed, Perth domestic airport traffic is suddenly gaining altitude.
Domestic traffic was up only marginally in the early months of the financial year.
But now we are seeing consistent and meaningful growth in traffic for the first time since the peak of the resources boom all the way back in FY2012.
It's been a long time between overpriced trolley cart drinks, but May 2018 domestic passengers totalled 791,306, which is up, up, and away from 721,318 a year earlier.
And the monthly beats are getting consistently stronger (click to enlarge the image, and follow the link for the time series data back to 2004/5).
Source: Perth Airport
International passenger traffic was up year-on-year too in May 2018, driven by China and Japan, but far less significantly.
Notably, regional traffic surged 8.5 per cent as resources projects ramp up around Western Australia's major ports.
I flagged this coming trend here where I looked at the marked lift in mineral exploration and metres drilled in the west.
There are more hi-vis vests at Australia's airports bound for regional flights, I've noticed.
Perth is also now promoting direct flights to London, though I haven't done one yet.
Great to see some more upbeat news for WA - let's hope this is clearance, Clarence!
