A plane full of air-travelling workers has landed in the Pilbara region after flying for the first time on Chris Ellison’s newly branded MinRes Air, enjoying 25cm more legroom on their five-hour, 40-minute commute.
Wearing MinRes Air livery, the A319 aircraft took to the skies to fly Mineral Resources employees and contractors from Brisbane to the mining company’s lithium mining site at Wodgina and then to Ken’s Bore. It arrived on Tuesday, ready for its next deployment.
The aircraft was modified to reduce the number of seats from 144 to 114. This means that MinRes employees on the 3,600 km domestic flight will have a seat with 94 to 96.5 cm of legroom, 25 cm more than before.
And another route is to be added: the first flight from a “MinRes Air Terminal” at Perth Airport to its iron ore hub Ken’s Bore is scheduled to take place “in the near future,” the mining company said.
Previously, MinRes CEO Ellison had candidly stated in an on-stage interview at a Macquarie conference in May that the company he founded would take the FIFO experience to the next level and create its own airline.
“We are starting our own airline. I’m not allowed to say that… but we are doing it,” a packed room full of analysts and financiers was told at the time.
The new airline has hired 20 captains and first officers, as well as engineers and ground staff.
Onboard refreshments are available on the weekly flight to Brisbane, including a cooked breakfast or lunch, snacks and hot and cold drinks, but travellers might want to bring a book as Wi-Fi is not expected to be available until early 2025.
Bethanie Ibrahim, MinRes Executive General Manager People, said the airline is setting new standards in the resources industry in terms of facilities, catering and flights.
The company already has its upscale headquarters in Osborne Park, has upgraded accommodation at its mine site and is in the process of building a $20-a-day daycare center to help retain and attract more employees.
“This industry-first investment will improve safety and productivity by ensuring our employees travel to and from the construction site as quickly, conveniently and comfortably as possible,” said Ms Ibrahim.
“We have assembled an outstanding team with decades of experience in the aviation sector and look forward to our first flights to Perth starting soon.”
MinRes Air has recruited Australian airline Skytraders for the service, which has been offered since January.