Wellcamp Airport open day set to go off with a bang
AN EXPLOSIVE introduction to Wellcamp Airport awaits visitors to the colossal construction site’s open day tomorrow.
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AN EXPLOSIVE introduction to Wellcamp Airport awaits visitors to the colossal construction site's open day tomorrow.
Amid helicopter joy flights and on-site bus tours, more than 500,000 tonnes of rock will be blasted apart in a single explosion.
"We intend to fire the blast at 1pm on Sunday," Wagners director Denis Wagner explained.
"All of the 10 million tonnes of rock going into building the airport precinct are being sourced on-site.
"If you divide that by the average truck capacity of 30 tonnes, it means about 333,000 trucks have been kept off the region's roads."
More than 10,000 people are expected to enter the 300ha work site tomorrow.
The 2.87km runway - only 300m shorter than Brisbane Airport - is already 90 per cent complete.
Heavy machinery has now started work on building the aprons - the areas where aircraft are parked and loaded - and the groundwork for the airport terminal.
Toowoomba construction firm FK Gardner has been enlisted to build the terminal.
"Things are starting to shake up around here," Mr Wagner said.
"We're busy getting everything ready for the open day so we can take people around the site safely."
Wagners plans to move its total business operations to the adjacent Wellcamp Business Park over the next four to five years.
The company's composite fibres technology facility will be the first to relocate, with its corporate offices to follow.
"No decision has been made as to what we will do with our current site (on Anzac Ave).
"We may hold it, we may lease it out or we may sell it."
The runway will receive a practical this morning as numerous planes land ahead of tomorrow's open day.
The first flight, piloted by Wagners chairman John Wagner, landed at the airport yesterday.
"Aerotec will put on aerial displays, there will be static aeroplane displays and the Darling Downs Aero Modellers have signed on to show off their model aircraft," Mr Wagner said.
"There will also be working displays to show how we're filling the runway and the aprons.
"The machinery will all be working and there will be dump truck rides for the kids."
Country singers Tania Kernaghan and Amber Lawrence will also perform.
Qantas, Virgin, Skytrans and Alliance are expected to have a strong presence tomorrow as a show of support for the project.
The four airlines have yet to commit to using the airport but Wagners expects formal agreements to be made in the near future.
The airport's new ambassador Laura Geitz, captain of the Australian netball team, said she was eager to meet and greet the general public.
"Being a local girl myself, I'm extremely excited to be on board and working alongside Wellcamp Airport," she said.
- The Wellcamp Airport open day will be held at the Toowoomba-Cecil Plains Rd site from 9.30am and 4pm.
Building an airport
- 2.87km runway to be completed by April 2014
- FK Gardner and Sons contracted to finish terminal construction by August 2014
- First regular flights to begin by October 2014
- About 85 per cent of planes will depart on flight paths running between Westbrook and Wyreema
- About 15% will arrive along the same flight path
- In that scenario, planes would pass roughly 2km from Westbrook and Wyreema, missing Cambooya by 5km
- Flights will begin with Dash 8 Q400-style propeller aircraft
- Wagners will add 717s and 737s over time
- Occasional 747 charter cargo freights also expected
- Company expects up to 70,000 passengers within the first six months of operation
- Independent report by Lawrence Accounting estimated Wellcamp Airport would add $135.6 million into the Toowoomba economy in its first year of operation
Originally published as Wellcamp Airport open day set to go off with a bang
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