Fly-in, fly out (FIFO) workers will now be able to fly directly from Australia’s east coast to Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) Wodgina and Ken’s Bore mine sites in Western Australia.
MinRes has contracted Australian-owned airline Skytraders to operate weekly return flights between the AvCair terminal at Brisbane Airport and the two MinRes sites in Western Australia.
The maiden flight to Ken’s Bore took off on January 11, taking just 5 hours and 45 minutes to touch down at the site.
“Direct interstate flights make it faster, easier and cheaper for our people and contractors to travel to and from MinRes sites,” MinRes general manager people facilities Bethanie Ibrahim said.
“For many of our workforce who live in Queensland or elsewhere on the east coast, these services will reduce their travel time by one full day.”
The direct flights are part of an ongoing initiative to attract more talent to the mining industry, which is currently in the grips of a labour shortage.
In early January, MinRes welcomed the first occupants to its resort-style FIFO accommodation pods at the Ken’s Bore site.
Features include queen size beds, in-room washer-dryers, big-screen televisions with a video call function, kitchenettes, and an outdoor veranda with electric barbecues.
Amenities are set to include an Olympic-size swimming pool, bistro, lounge, indoor fitness centre, recreation building and sports courts.
MinRes executive general manager people Andrea Chapman said that these initiatives were part of the company’s commitment to redefine the FIFO experience.
Subscribe to Safe to Work to get the safety news that matters to the Australian mining industry.