Tourism minister Zoe Bettison said the new route would entice more interstate visitors to South Australia, with the inaugural Perth to Adelaide service to commence next month in time with the West Australian school holidays.

Taking off on June 28, the route will be flown three times a week and deliver 30,000 more seats between the capitals on a Rex E-190 jet.

The state government said Western Australia was South Australia’s fourth largest interstate market for tourism, worth $264 million in 2023. Further, almost 630,000 people flew between Perth and Adelaide in 2023.

“It is very welcome news that Rex will start flying Perth to Adelaide, adding more flights into our state, offering another option for visitors from WA to come and explore South Australia,” Bettison said.

“The commencement of an extra three flights a week from Perth to Adelaide is timed perfectly to coincide with the start of WA school holidays.

“I encourage Western Australians to take advantage of this new service and low fares and come and visit South Australia. This is a great opportunity for interstate visitors to experience our great food and wine, immerse themselves into the unique landscape, and be part of our exciting blockbuster events.”

The flights will run on Monday, Friday and Sunday each week, adding to other flights Rex operates into Adelaide including from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Anthony Gibara, director of National Jet Express which operates Rex, said tickets for the new route were on sale now.

“This is terrific news for Perth and Adelaide travellers because more operators means more competition but in the case of Rex, it also means better service and reliability,” Gibara said.

The news was also welcomed by Adelaide Airport managing director Brenton Cox, who said Rex had been a “wonderful supporter of the Adelaide market, including regional links, for many years”.

“Today’s announcement builds on the introduction of services from Adelaide to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane over the past three years,” Cox said.

“It’s great to witness Rex’s growth in the domestic market and offering more choice for travellers on one of our key domestic routes – in this case just in time for the July school holidays.

“The new service also will help fill a capacity gap and stimulate traffic volumes on this route.”

The news follows the resumption of daily direct flights from Dubai to Adelaide via Emirates, which recommenced in October last year.

That move was expected to deliver a $160 million boost in tourism, expenditure and freight exports according to the state government.