Wellcamp Airport seeks to become Western Queensland flight centre

Regional leaders have called for Wellcamp Airport to replace Brisbane as western Queensland's flight hub after capacity issues force travellers into costly Brisbane detours.

Representatives at the TMR Roundtable on Regional Connectivity at Wellcamp Airport

Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport is being pitched as the new hub for western Queensland flights, with stakeholders urging the state to shift services from Brisbane to improve access for patients, students and workers.

With Maranoa routes at capacity and Rex’s recent $170m takeover clearing a path to add seats, backers say daily Wellcamp to Roma services and north south connections would deliver fairer, more affordable travel across the region.

As the route stands many regional travellers are required to fly to Brisbane and drive back to Toowoomba with the new proposal suggesting repositioning Wellcamp as the new hub.

Representatives from healthcare, education and local councils joined the Department of Transport and Main Roads for a roundtable in November which highlighted the role of air travel for patients accessing healthcare, students attending boarding schools and residents travelling for work and family commitments.

Hosted at Wellcamp Airport, the roundtable was an opportunity to pitch Toowoomba as a regional hub for flights.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE) chairman Dr John McVeigh said they were appealing to make Wellcamp the new flight hub. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“The review is about promoting services into western Queensland, our roundtable strongly endorsed that Wellcamp Airport should be the preferred hub for western Queensland flights rather than Brisbane as it currently is,” TSBE executive director Dr John McVeigh said.

“The flights are state government supported routes and while they are conducting their review we are pointing to Wellcamp as a preferred location for many in western Queensland from a health service perspective, education and industry particularly the resources sector whether that’s gas or the burgeoning renewable energy sector.”

Dr McVeigh said alongside Wellcamp becoming the new hub he would like to see more frequent flights into and out of the region.

“From a TSBE perspective we would like to see daily flights from Toowoomba to Roma and flights that we call north south connectivity so people from ports in South West Queensland can fly to Toowoomba and then onto places like Sydney,” he said.

“It is far more convenient and meets demand better if Toowoomba is the hub.

“In terms of the airlines that will win the flights in the future, Rex is a current operator but there are other options and ultimately that is a state government decision.”

Dr McVeigh said it was important to ensure connectivity throughout the regions.

“This is about ensuring equity for those in South West Queensland,” he said.

“Flights to Roma from Brisbane are full, they are heavily patronised by gas companies and that can mean at times it is very difficult for locals to get a flight.

“We are hearing numerous stories of people from Roma having to decide whether they drive to Toowoomba or fly to Brisbane and drive back to Toowoomba in a rental car.”

Murweh Shire Mayor Councillor Shaun (Zoro) Radnedge said flights out of Charleville and Roma had reached capacity.

Murweh Shire mayor Shaun “Zoro” Radnedge agreed and said the region’s 14 flights out of Charleville had now reached capacity, and residents need more.

“The Rex scheme has been in place for about three-and-a-half years after council entered into a contract with the contractor about landing fees at the Charleville airport to create cheaper airfares for the community,” Mr Radnedge said.

“Rex was going into liquidation and that meant the state government couldn’t add that route with a contractor that was potentially in liquidation.

“Now the new deal has been done to take over Rex in the new year, we will be back at the table to look at how we can build on that capacity to get those seats.”

While the scheme had been a success, Mr Radnedge said the region had reached the point where it needed additional flights.

“At the moment what we are experiencing is there is no more capacity for seats and that’s been happening for the past 14 months,” he said.

“We have been working hard with the state government to bring more capacity to the contract so we can get more people on more planes and make it more affordable.”

About 13,000 people fly on the Rex flights a year.

“We are looking at a Saturday flight which would add another 3500 seats for the year. This would take the pressure off the capacity problem,” Mr Radnedge said.

Discussions at the TMR Roundtable on Regional Connectivity at Wellcamp Airport

Mr Radnedge said access to air travel was a right that people in the regions deserved just as much as their metro counterparts.

“We are seeing 50c public transport in Brisbane; just because you live in a metro area it doesn’t mean you should get cheaper transport, it is imperative that there is a fair playing field across the whole of Queensland,” he said.

“Having access to these flights is about continuity, access to health care, education, and commerce, and for people who need to travel for an event.

“Travel has to be affordable and we need connectivity that suits our timetable.”