Whitsunday Coast Airport to increase Jetstar flights from July

More direct flights to and from Proserpine means more ‘bums on seats, bodies in beds and buyers in our big and small retail outlets,’: Mayor

The council says extra flights to and from Proserpine show confidence in the ability of the Whitsundays to be one of Australia’s peak domestic tourism destinations. ​

Whitsunday Coast Airport is flying high after securing a major deal with Jetstar for an extra 434 flights annually from July 1.

The deal, brokered after lengthy negotiations, will include an increase to daily direct flights return to Melbourne, return flights direct to Sydney six days a week, and increased flights to Brisbane.

The extra flights have the potential to increase visitation to the region by 80,000 people a year, helping airport manager Whitsunday Regional Council achieve its 500,000 passenger goal.

“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had our sights set on breaking the magic 500,000 passenger barrier and this new deal puts us in the box seat to achieve that in the 2021/22 financial year,” Whitsunday Mayor Andrew Willcox said.

“This is a significant deal and will increase capacity by 27 per cent on our 2019 numbers which to date, is our highest

year on record,” he said.

Cr Willcox was grateful for the show of confidence from airline partners, and also praised the council’s airport team for “taking the lead to reinvigorate our region as a destination”.

He said the council would continue working with all airlines currently servicing the airport to keep increasing capacity.

The council’s aviation and tourism chief operating officer Craig Turner said Whitsunday Coast was one of the fastest growing regional airports in Australia.

He said the extra 434 flights would ensure the Whitsundays remained a tourism “hotspot”.

“It’s a positive sign for our tourism operators and other related stakeholders that their resilience during recent challenging times is paying dividends,” Mr Turner said.

Tourism Whitsundays CEO Tash Wheeler congratulated the council and airport team for securing the extra flights, saying it demonstrated that collaborative marketing efforts were “cutting through” domestically and driving tangible results.

“Our operators have continued to pivot their businesses during COVID to ensure they are putting their best foot forward which is kudos to them,” she said.

“The additional 80,000 seats with Jetstar reinforces that the Whitsundays is one of the most sought-after domestic holiday destinations and we can’t wait to welcome more tourists over the next 12 months.”