Over 100,000 passenger movements have been lost with low-cost airline Bonza falling into administration, meaning Townsville could lose popular direct routes if immediate action isn’t taken by government and airline partners to give certainty back to North Queenslanders.
Townsville Airport has seen record growth across metro and regional aviation routes over the past 12 months, largely backed by the newly added intra-state routes of Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.
Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith says it is critical to maintain direct airline routes to see continued growth across both leisure and business sectors for Townsville North Queensland.
“We’re calling on government and airline partners to give North Queenslanders choice, affordability and additional capacity, ensuring direct airline connectivity can stay in the North,” Ms Brumme-Smith said.
“Over the past 12 months, direct inbound Townsville routes have seen steady organic growth out of metro markets of Melbourne and Sydney, and the additional regional connections – particularly Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast – have increased our capacity significantly adding over 100,000 seats into our destination each year.”
“We know direct routes are critical when consumers make travel decisions, and this is true for both holidaymakers and skilled workers, and to lose momentum now across both markets will be dire for our region’s economy.”
“With the $10B project pipeline for 2024 alone, and significant growth in awareness and visitation to our region, we’re calling on the government, airlines – such as Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia – and Townsville Airport to work together to ensure we maintain these successful routes into the future.”
Townsville Airport General Manager Brendan Cook said the intra-regional routes – previously operated by Bonza – have proven to be successful over the past 12 months.
"These markets were on track to deliver around 100,000 passengers a year to the Townsville region, that is a significant boost to the local economy," Mr Cook said.
"We are in constant discussions with airlines around adding additional capacity and would always be supportive of anything that boosts the connectivity of the Townsville North Queensland region," he said.
Townsville Enterprise – in partnership with local leaders and stakeholders, lead an Aviation Attraction Committee which works toward delivering a five-year aviation attraction strategy for Townsville North Queensland. This strategy is focused on initially building domestic connectivity and moving to drive international demand to develop international routes into the future.
