Regional carrier Sharp Airlines will reinstate its Melbourne Essendon (MEB) – King Island (KNS) route later this year after securing financial support from the Tasmanian Government, according to a 25 June notice in Aero South Pacific’s Route Briefs. The service, which was suspended in 2024 amid pilot shortages and high fuel costs, will resume in late October with up to six weekly Saab 340B flights timed to connect with morning business departures from Melbourne. King Island’s booming agribusiness and tourism sectors have lobbied hard for the route’s return, arguing that the 30-minute hop is critical for exporting premium cheese and beef to mainland markets and for attracting investors eyeing wind-energy projects on the Bass Strait outpost. For mobility planners the reinstatement restores a same-day return option for engineering and project-management teams visiting the island’s infrastructure works, reducing reliance on charter flights via Burnie or Devonport. The Tasmanian Department of State Growth will underwrite un-sold seats for the first 12 months, a subsidy model similar to Queensland’s successful Regional Airfare Guarantee, signalling continued government willingness to prop up thin but strategic routes.
Source: Aero South Pacific Route Briefs
