Townsville Airport master plan approved as international flights put back on table

Qantas may soon throw North Queenslanders a lifeline in picking up two popular routes Bonza left grounded, as new international destinations are put on the table. Have your say in our poll.

Qantas may soon throw North Queenslanders a lifeline in picking up the popular Gold and Sunshine Coast routes that Bonza left grounded, as new international destinations are put on the table.

Speaking at Townsville Enterprise’s Tourism Futures Forum this week, Qantas Queensland regional sales and development manager Adam Humphries said Townsville was “an important destination for us” since their first flight landed in the city on May 8, 1931.

“We have seen a bit of a decline happening at this time of the year, going back to what really is pre-Covid levels,” Mr Humphries said.

“In terms of the Bonza piece, it’s a very difficult thing for our industry. Everybody in our industry knows each other and lots of people I know who were working in Bonza are obviously devastated by a series of events that happened.

“It has caused us as a business both Qantas and Jetstar to look at the number of different routes and opportunities.”

Queensland Airports Limited Aviation Business Development general manager Amanda Byrne, Qantas Queensland regional sales and development manager Adam Humphries and TEL chair and former Townsville Airport COO Kevin Gill at the Tourism Futures Forum.

TEL chief executive Claudia Brumme-Smith asked if Qantas or Jetstar would consider picking up the popular Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast flights, which she said were “often full” from Townsville.

“It’s a good question. Both Qantas and Jetstar are looking at all of those opportunities,” Mr Humphries said.

“The thing is that there is so much demand across the country that we do have some constraints in terms of number of aircraft, we have a number of crew and captains that we have the same constraints that all of our industry is facing, so it’s an evolving thing.

“But there’s some good business cases under way at the moment to look at those opportunities.”

The 2023 Townsville Airport Master Plan was this week given the green light by the Federal Government for the expansion of the terminal and development of the surrounding precinct.

The plan says as the eleventh busiest airport in the country with more than 400 flights a week, Townsville Airport is a crucial gateway for the region’s tourism, mining and defence sectors, contributing more than $400 million to the region and supporting more than 2500 full-time jobs.

Forecasts in the Master Plan include the planning of international services by 2025, contributing to predicted annual passenger numbers of 3.7 million by 2043 – more than double today’s figures.

There will also be the establishment of a new gateway precinct and an airport hotel along with modern shopping and food and beverage options.

Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith at the Tourism Futures Forum.

Queensland Airports Limited CEO Amelia Evans said investing in the airport now was crucial to support the region’s anticipated growth.

“The next 20 years will be a critical growth period for the Townsville North Queensland region, with a predicted population boom of 38% set to see resident numbers soar to more than 325,000,” Ms Evans said.

Speaking on an expert aviation panel as part of TEL’s Tourism Futures Forum, QAL general manager aviation business development Amanda Byrne said demand for flights in and out of Townsville had never been higher.

“We had our second best February on record, and we also had our best April just recently, so we’re above 2019 levels,” Ms Byrne said.

“Lots of people are travelling and they’re prioritising travel, whether it be for business or leisure reasons.

“We’re starting to see cost of living pressures, inflation, business budgets starting to rein in a little bit and capacity is aligning with that accordingly.”

Townsville Airport.

Ms Byrne confirmed that by 2025 they were hoping to see international flights take off from Townsville Airport.

“(The international flight routes) will be Townsville locals-led,” she said.

“Data drives all of the decisions with airlines at the moment, and if we don’t have critical data to support the decision for them to put multimillion-dollar aircraft into Townsville, as opposed to Cairns or Adelaide or somewhere else, we’re not in the running, we just simply won’t be there.”

Ms Brumme-Smith said whatever the international route ends up being, it needed to be an “ongoing flight schedule that connects us to the world directly” and cemented for years to come.

“When we look at our business cases for international flights right now, you can see there is some really good business travel between Townsville and Singapore,” she said.

“And there’s a Singaporean Army Defence Initiative starting in 2027 as well, so logically, that’s where we would like to go.”

Originally published as Townsville Airport master plan approved as international flights put back on table