Toowoomba Regional Council’s plans to upgrade the Toowoomba Airport will be finalized when the results of a State Government tender process and ongoing council discussions with airlines are completed.

Mayor Peter Taylor said preliminary enquiries made with a number of airlines regarding their interest in providing commercial air services out of Toowoomba had been very promising to date.

However, council will await the results of Queensland Transport’s call for tenders for the remainder of the contract period for the state-subsidised Western 1 and Western 2 routes which currently land in Toowoomba.

Tenders are currently being assessed by Queensland Transport to determine which airline will provide these services for the remaining contract period of approximately three years. This will replace the emergency contract arrangement put in place by the State Government when MacAir ceased operations earlier this year.

“Skytrans has introduced Dash 8-100 series 36-seater aircraft providing an excellent modern service for passengers.

“We are expecting Queensland Transport to announce the successful service provider sometime in November,” Mayor Taylor said.

“However, this tender announcement may affect which airlines might still be interested in commercial operations out of Toowoomba.

“Different types of aircraft have different runway requirements so it would be premature of council to make further airport upgrade plans until the key players and their needs are known.

Engineering Services portfolio leader Cr Carol Taylor said the scope of the airport upgrade project was very much dependent on the outcome of the State Government’s current tender process and ongoing council enquiries regarding possible future commercial regular public transport (RPT) operations.

“Regarding the subsidised Western 1 and Western 2 routes, it depends on which airline and aircraft type is accepted by Queensland Transport as to whether these routes can continue to operate through the existing Toowoomba airport.

“An airline flying Dash 8-100s could continue to operate from Toowoomba, but larger aircraft would need to operate from Oakey until such time as the Toowoomba runway was extended, if this would cater for these aircraft,” Cr Taylor said.

“And a decision on the extent of apron upgrading should not be made until we know more about the type of RPT services likely to use the airport in the foreseeable future.

“Council will reconsider the matter when results of the Queensland Transport tender process and other implications for the airport upgrade project are known,” she said.

Mayor Taylor said today he would be writing to the Minister for Transport Rachel Nolan urging her to consider most carefully the aircraft type being supplied by the successful tenderer.

“We want an improved level of service and comfort for passengers, not a reduced level of service and the Dash 8 aircraft type can provide fast, comfortable and quiet services to residents,” he said.