Cairns Airport Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Brown, welcomed the new Airnorth service from Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport.
“We are pleased to see this new service commence with flights from Toowoomba to Cairns,” Mr Brown said.
“The three times per week service extends the comprehensive domestic network available through Cairns Airport.
“It will give people in the wider Toowoomba region direct access for holidays in Tropical North Queensland where they can experience the wonderful attractions we have in our destination including the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef and Tropical Rainforests.
“It also gives them an easy connection to the many international services that operate from Cairns Airport – flying direct year round to Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bali, Manila, Auckland and Port Moresby and seasonally to Shanghai.
“I am sure many Tropical North Queensland locals and visitors to our region will enjoy the opportunity to directly access the many attractions on offer in the Toowoomba region.
“Cairns Airport welcomed its first Airnorth service in August 2014 with their Cairns-Gove-Darwin flights.
“Airnorth quickly became a valued airline partner for Cairns Airport, operating a fleet of Embraer E170 aircraft that carry 76 passengers and offer full service.”
Today we welcome Brisbane West Wellcamp as our newest airport partner. We look forward to working with both companies as we explore new opportunities for the future.”
Airnorth CEO, Daniel Bowden commented, “Initial support and interest in these services has been fantastic, and enquires are coming from various corporate and leisure markets.We look forward to welcoming new passengers on board and we are sure they will enjoy the product offering in our state-of–the-art Embraer E170 jets, coupled with our exceptional customer service plus more.”
“Airnorth currently connects Darwin and Cairns with services six days per week via Gove and we are excited to be able to offer the new Toowoomba service providing another option for customers visiting Cairns and local residents alike.”
Airnorth welcomes the inclusion of the Qantas code on the new Airnorth Wellcamp services.
“The new flights will allow both outbound and inbound customers from Toowoomba and the wider Darling Downs, to directly access Melbourne and Cairns with the added Qantas codeshare travel options and associated benefits.” By partnering with Qantas on these services we’re expanding not only our codeshare network but our ability to offer customers in regional communities greater access to quality airline services,” Mr Bowden said.
Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport general manager Mr Phil Gregory said Airnorth’s direct Cairns services were a major coup for the Darling Downs region.
“We are very excited to have direct air services between Cairns and Toowoomba.
“Our current direct Sydney services have been performing well and news of a further two headline routes have received overwhelming support from the local community,” said Mr Gregory.
“We look forward to working closely with Cairns Airport and Airnorth to ensure successful, long-term partnerships that will open the skies to better connectivity for both cities.
“Toowoomba and the surrounding regions will provide great winter escapes for North Queenslanders looking for gourmet food and wine trails, conversely many locals will welcome the opportunity to enjoy Cairns’ warmer weather and direct access to the Great Barrier Reef.”
The Toowoomba – Cairns flights will operate every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday, departing Toowoomba at 0915 hrs to arrive in Cairns at 1140 hrs, and departing Cairns at 1210 hrs to arrive in Toowoomba at 1430 hrs.