EastWest Airlines has announced it will investigate the possibility of upgrading its Griffith-Melbourne service after adding three new planes to its fleet.

The airline previously offered eight return services between the two cities, but this was downgraded to just two last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current flights operate on Tuesday and Thursday but the added capacity of three new planes means popular services on Friday and Sunday could return, offering Griffith residents the chance to travel to Melbourne for the weekend.

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The airline will also look at the possibility of adding a day trip service with flights in the morning and evening.

"These three aircraft will substantially improve our capacity and will give us the opportunity to add more services," an EastWest Airlines spokesperson told the Area News.

"For example we had strong support for Friday and Sunday flights for leisure travel to and from Melbourne. That's one thing we are going to have a look at."

Prior to coronavirus-forced cancellations, the Friday and Sunday flights between Griffith and Melbourne were the most popular on the service.

EastWest Airlines says the number of travellers taking flights has been picking up in recent weeks, which could support the calls for the new flights to be added.

On April 1, a flight to Griffith from Melbourne was sold out for the first time since the pandemic began.

Discussions on upgrading the Griffith-Melbourne route will take place "at some point" in the next two months.

EastWest Airlines currently operates the only direct flights between Griffith and Melbourne.

Both Rex Airlines and Qantas offer flights between Griffith and Sydney.

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