Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport may become Australia’s newest international airport and Queensland’s fifth international gateway later this year.
Plans to welcome international flights come less than two months after the airport received its first passenger service.
Now the airport’s general manager, Phil Gregory is reportedly looking to expand the privately owned gateway’s services and has already started negotiations with an undisclosed international carrier, according to the The Sydney Morning Herald.
“We’ve got some big plans internationally in the short- to medium-term, actually.”
Phil Gregory, Wellcamp Airport general manager
He said mostly due to politics, the process of starting international operations is slow and a struggle.
Qantas became the first airline to use the airport for commercial operations last year.
He explained that the process requires the company to go through 11 different government departments, but the company is ‘chipping away at it’ and focused on making it happen.
Regarding airport structure, the gateway would only require minor changes, including a section that would separate one of the passenger gates from the rest of the terminal. Initially, the airport may only operate international freight services.
If overseas services are approved, Wellcamp will join Brisbane, Cairns, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast as Queensland’s newest international gateway.
Original shots from the construction site. Image Source: Aviation Australia.
Wellcamp Airport is funded by Towoomba’s Wagner family who earned their vast $827 million fortune in the construction industry.
It is located 20 kilometres from Towoomba’s centre and 130 kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD.
The Wagners spent nearly $200 million to develop the gateway in less than 18 months.
It is also one of Australia’s longest regional runways and the second longest regional runway in Queensland.
