After eight false starts and years of waiting, the first direct flight from Melbourne to WA's Margaret River food and wine tourism region has arrived.
The sold-out Jetstar flight, with 186 people onboard, left Melbourne and touched down at the Busselton Margaret River airport on Wednesday.
While the route had been discussed for almost a decade, an airline carrier was only confirmed in 2019, and then plans to launch were scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new flights are scheduled three times a week and will continue in a trial of the route over the next three years.
Jetstar chief executive Gareth Evans said he expected the flights to continue beyond that time.
"This is very much a permanent route," he said.
Wheatbelt residents Martin John Ranis and Blanche Gucor were among those on the first flight.
Mr Ranis said the new flight was a good option for people from regional WA.
Another passenger, Natasha Kelly from Newcastle in NSW, said she hadn’t seen some of her closest relatives in the South West for two years and this flight route would make it much easier for all of them to visit each other.
"It's actually easier than going from Sydney to Perth then Perth to Busselton," Ms Kelly said.
"The flight was really good. I've been trying to get over here for a while."
'Upgrade shouldn't wait'
The new service follows major upgrades to the Busselton Margaret River Airport, jointly funded by the state and federal governments and the City of Busselton.
Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan said additional funding would depend on the success of the new route.
She said $47 million had already been spent on the airport and attracting a carrier.
Liberal member for Vasse Libby Mettam said the state government should proceed with funding the expansion of the Busselton airport's terminal capacity instead of waiting for another 12 months.
"This is a game-changer project for the region," Ms Mettam said.
"We know it is an ambitious project [but] we need to properly invest in these important routes through marketing and suitable infrastructure.
"This air route has every chance to succeed."
An additional $10 million that had been earmarked for the development by the state government was reallocated to the proposed underwater observatory expansion at Busselton jetty.
The new route is seen as a major boost for tourism in Melbourne and the South West, which have both suffered significantly due to COVID.
Previously, interstate tourists who wanted to visit the Margaret River region needed to fly into Perth and drive three hours' south.
The arrival of the new route is expected to bring more than 60,000 visitors to the region over the next three years and generate $40 million for the local WA economy.
Victorian Tourism council chief executive officer Felicia Mariani said domestic tourism would play a crucial role for the tourism sector, as international arrivals were slower to rebuild.
"Margaret River has huge appeal to Melburnians, so I don't see why there wouldn't be a benefit both ways," she said.
