A Western spar

Perth-based carriers Skywest and Network Aviation have both announced major tie-ups with the nation’s big two airlines in what appears to be a major shakeup of both the charter and scheduled regional markets.

The first tie-up came on December 13 with Qantas announcing that it had reached an agreement to acquire resource charter specialist Network Aviation, broad-ening its exposure to the lucrative fly-in/ fly-out charter market.