Goldfields FIFO Charter Flights

The Goldfields is defined by breadth rather than concentration. Instead of a handful of very large operations, the region carries a large number of mid-tier gold and nickel mines, satellite deposits, processing hubs and active exploration programs. The result is smaller, more frequent crew movements to more destinations, a very different planning problem from the Pilbara's large fixed swings.

That shape rewards right-sizing. A rotation of 25 to 40 people flown on an appropriately sized turboprop is often materially cheaper and more practical than forcing the same crew onto a jet, and it opens up shorter and unsealed strips closer to site, which removes hours of road transfer at both ends.

Exploration and development work adds a further pattern: campaigns. Drilling programs, resource definition work and feasibility studies run for defined periods with variable crew numbers, and they frequently need capacity that starts, scales and stops without a long-term contract sitting behind it.

Perth remains the main crew source, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder functions as both a regional origin and a hub for crews already living in the region. For some operations, flying into Kalgoorlie and driving is the right answer; for others, a smaller aircraft directly into a mine strip removes several hours of bus travel each way and pays for itself in productive hours.

That trade-off is worth modelling rather than assuming. When you send a requirement, include the site's aerodrome or nearest strip and the road time from the alternatives. It frequently changes which aircraft we recommend.

• Perth (PER), primary origin for most Goldfields rosters
• Kalgoorlie-Boulder (KGI), regional origin and transfer hub
• Common destinations, Leonora, Laverton, Wiluna, Menzies, Norseman and mine strips
• Strip realities, many destinations are shorter or unsealed, which narrows aircraft options

Aviall Group is not an aircraft operator. We source across a wide operator base, which matters more in this region than most, because the right answer is frequently a smaller aircraft that a single-fleet provider may not hold.

Runway length and surface, crew numbers and baggage set the type. Below roughly 20 people, small turboprops open up almost every strip in the region. Between 30 and 70, mid-size turboprops are usually the economic choice. Above that, sealed regional airports and jets come back into play.

• Small turboprops (up to 19 seats), exploration crews and short or unsealed strips
• Mid-size turboprops (30–70 seats), the workhorse for Goldfields rosters
• Regional jets (70–100 seats), larger rotations into sealed airports
• Mixed solutions, a jet trunk sector plus a light aircraft shuttle to site

Exploration and development campaigns need capacity that behaves like a program but does not last like one. We regularly price a defined-period pattern, a set number of rotations per week for the length of a drilling campaign, with a clear basis for extending or standing it down.

For established operations, the same intake supports a longer program: days of operation, required departure times, commencement, duration, frequency, passenger numbers and baggage. Estimates are enough to produce a workable price you can take to a budget holder.

We arrange dedicated aircraft charter capacity. We are not the aircraft operator, the mining contractor or the travel management company, every flight is operated by an appropriately approved operator selected for the aerodrome and the crew requirement.

Most enquiries here come from mining procurement, site logistics coordinators, contractors mobilising crews, and travel managers or TMCs who need charter capability behind an existing programme. We work to whichever of those interfaces you already have in place.