Well, it’s finally come to fruition!
Virgin’s first commercial flight into Bundy is scheduled to land at 1.40pm tomorrow (Saturday) and I for one, will be there to celebrate along with many others.
The plan to upgrade the airport tarmac and terminal to enable it to attract additional air services stems back to the days of the pre-amalgamated Bundaberg City Council and was implemented during the last term of the newly merged Council and spearheaded by former Mayor Lorraine Pyefinch with the unanimous support of her elected colleagues, Senior Management and the Economic Development Team.
Former Mayor Lorraine Pyefinch & Queensland Governor Her Excellency Penelope Wensley AO open the upgraded airport terminal
The master-planned development of the aero-precinct which includes the provision of commercial premises (some with direct air-side access to the tarmac), has provided us with an exciting opportunity to attract new businesses and employment opportunities to the region.
The support for this project has continued into the current term of Council and it’s great to see the progress that is being acheived.
This afternoon Council issued the following Media Release….
MAYOR TO GREET FIRST VIRGIN FLIGHT PASSENGERS
The arrival of the first commercial flight by Virgin Australia at the Bundaberg Airport tomorrow afternoon is a significant event for the region and one which Bundaberg Regional Council hopes to make memorable for passengers arriving and departing on the first flights.
Mayor, Cr. Mal Forman said he would attend the airport tomorrow with several fellow Councillors to personally greet passengers disembarking from the flight.
“This is a significant event for our region with the official start of services by a second carrier and we wanted to ensure the occasion was suitably recognized.”
Cr. Forman said both arriving and departing passengers would be presented with individually numbered certificates acknowledging they were passengers on the initial flight VA1701 which is scheduled to land at Bundaberg Airport at 1.40pm. They would also each receive a small Bundaberg Region memento.
Virgin Australia becomes only the second commercial carrier to operate out of the Bundaberg Airport with daily flights to Brisbane.
Bundaberg Regional Council was actively engaged in negotiations spanning several years to entice a second carrier to the region.