By Jeremy Sollars
THE inaugural Mayor’s Leadership Breakfast was held at Rupert’s Bar and Grill in Warwick yesterday, Wednesday 7 December.
A large gathering of the region’s business figures went along to hear Mayor Tracy Dobie speak about infrastructure needs and a presentation from Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport’s Commercial and Communications manager Sara Hales.
The council plans to make the Mayor’s Leadership Breakfast a regular event with high-profile guest speakers and for a chance to do some business networking.
Ms Hales outlined the infrastructure capabilities of Wellcamp Airport – privately owned and constructed by the Wagner family of Toowoomba – which last month saw the first Cathay Pacific Airways cargo flight depart for Hong Kong, with a shipment of Darling Downs chilled beef on board.
The international scheduled weekly freight service will be operated on a Cathay Pacific 747-8F, which will initially depart from Sydney, then land in Melbourne, with a final stop in Toowoomba before the nine-hour direct flight to Hong Kong.
Wagners Global chairman and airport developer John Wagner said at the time he was “absolutely delighted Cathay Pacific had committed to operating a scheduled weekly Boeing 747-8F service out of the airport.”
“The opportunities this creates for Queensland exporters to benefit from Australia’s free trade agreements and to access the world’s biggest consumer markets are unlimited,” Mr Wagner said.
“We are on the cusp of very exciting times and the reality for our multi-million-dollar agricultural and processing sectors is produce like chilled beef and other perishables will be able to fly direct to Asia from the region in which they are produced, creating both valuable first mile and cool chain efficiencies, and enabling significant capacity for the growth of trade.”
At yesterday’s breakfast, Ms Hales took questions on issues such as the relatively high cost of passenger flights from Wellcamp Airport to southern capitals, which, she said, came down to airline competition and passenger numbers on particular flights.
She also acknowledged signage directing travellers from Warwick and Stanthorpe to Wellcamp Airport was less than optimal, saying Wellcamp was in talks with the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Ms Hales told the Free Times Wellcamp Airport expected to receive a ‘restricted international airport’ classification from the Federal Government by the end of this year, which would formalise its international cargo operations but would not allow for international passenger flights at this point in time.
For more information on business opportunities offered by Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport visit www.wellcamp.com.au
