Premier Colin Barnett has taken the public behind the scenes to explain the government's $14 million investment in Perth Airport and Qantas' deal to start Perth-London direct flights in 2018.
The national carrier confirmed on Sunday it would operate the 17-hour journeys from 2018, the first regular passenger service to directly link Australia with Europe, with the government confirming it would pay for upgrades allowing border services at domestic terminal T3.
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Direct Australia to London flights take off
Qantas is introducing direct flights from Perth to London in 2018, giving Australians the chance to fly direct to Europe for the first time. Vision courtesy ABC News.
It was not the role of government to subsidise either corporation, he told Radio 6PR on Monday morning, but the government wanted to ensure the flights happened from Perth, and maybe to Paris or Frankfurt in the future.
"What I put to Qantas and the airport was that we wanted the travelling public, both Australians and overseas visitors, not to be in any way inconvenienced," he said.
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"Having two international points at the airport meant that you had to duplicate immigration, customs, quarantine services.
"Now the Commonwealth government has come to the party and said they will fund the extra staff and WA has basically matched that.
"So we are not paying for departure lounges or transit lounges for passengers but we are providing the facilities for those border security employees. I think that's a proper role for government."
He said there would also be an agreement between Tourism WA and Qantas to encourage interstate travellers to include a Perth stopover, and for Europeans to begin their Australian trips with a Perth leg.
"We are seeing a big investment in Perth in terms of improved hotel accommodation, from lower-priced up to premium – some 3000 rooms are coming on, so all the balls are lining up," he told the station.
The government estimates the deal will inject $36 million annually into the WA economy, create new jobs at the airport, for Perth-based pilots and in businesses providing support services, and potentially allow West Australian produce to be used on the long haul flights.
T3 will also process the airline's current international services from Perth to Singapore and Auckland until Qantas relocates its international terminal T1 by 2025.
Perth-London seats will go on sale in April 2017 for the first services in March 2018.