ATI opted to make East-West the primary operator from Devonport, while the number of Ansett services would be reduced. At Wynyard, East-West services would be withdrawn by February 1988 with Ansett to remain as the sole operator. Around this time Ansett also announced that it was withdrawing the twice-weekly F28 service to Melbourne, and F27s would resume operating all services ahead of the imminent delivery of new Fokker F50 turboprops.
ATI chose East-West as the main carrier from Devonport, while reducing Ansett's services. By February 1988, East-West services at Wynyard would be discontinued, with Ansett remaining in charge. Concurrently, Ansett announced that it was canceling its twice-weekly F28 service to Melbourne and planned to resume F27 operations on all routes before the arrival of new Fokker F50 turboprops.