{"id":138140,"date":"2016-03-14T16:14:33","date_gmt":"2016-03-14T06:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=138140"},"modified":"2020-10-20T15:47:42","modified_gmt":"2020-10-20T05:47:42","slug":"first-flight-to-melbourne-takes-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/03\/14\/first-flight-to-melbourne-takes-off\/","title":{"rendered":"First Flight To Melbourne Takes Off"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Airnorth’s Embraer E170 jet at Wellcamp Airport on Monday … the plane can carry 76 passengers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

March 14, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first commercial flight from Toowoomba to Melbourne took off on Monday morning, the first of seven return flights every week to Melbourne from the privately run Wellcamp Airport.<\/p>\n

The flight also marked a significant expansion for northern Australia air operator, Airnorth, as it is the company’s first foray into the southern passenger market.<\/p>\n

Airnorth, which is based in Darwin, currently services Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory with flights also to Timor and Indonesia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud to see Airnorth again breaking new ground to deliver the first commercial passenger service to Melbourne out of the new Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport,\u201d Airnorth CEO Daniel Bowden said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an important milestone for our business and for regional Australia.<\/p>\n

“Wellcamp is a world class facility and a credit to the vision and commitment of its owners, and our key partners, in the Wagner family.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been extremely pleased by early demand for the new services which have attracted strong support from both the corporate and leisure markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Qantas codeshare arrangement means we\u2019re expanding not only our codeshare network but our ability to offer customers in regional communities greater access to quality airline services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Airnorth was founded in 1978 and has 270 employees, including 70 pilots, and carries 300,000 passengers a year.<\/p>\n

In 2015, the company was bought by international operator Bristow Helicopters.<\/p>\n

[Photos: Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport]<\/strong><\/p>\n

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