Toowoomba adds Cathay and Singapore pax freighters

[caption id="attachment_84107" align="alignright" width="460"] Cathay Pacific already has a weekly 747-8F service at Wellcamp Airport. (Photo: Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport)[/caption] Queensland’s Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport (WTB) has secured cargo flights to Hong Kong and Singapore with Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, with the assistance of the Australian government. Both airlines will be using passenger aircraft on a cargo-only basis, with each expected to carry approximately 30-40 tonnes of produce such as beef, pork, eggs, fruit and vegetables. The first Cathay flight, operated with a 777-300ER, departed WTB on June 14, arriving via Sydney (SYD) and heading nonstop to Hong Kong (HKG). The first Singapore Airlines flight will arrive and depart WTB June 19, operated by an A350-900 on a Singapore (SIN)-SYD-WTB-SIN routing. “With very few passenger planes flying overseas at present, we need to make sure local farmers and producers across South East Queensland still have avenues to get their produce over to their overseas customers,” said Australian Federal Trade Minster Simon Birmingham. “By securing these freight flights, farmers from the Lockyer Valley and across the Darling Downs and Granite Belt regions won’t have to truck their fresh produce down to Brisbane, saving them time and money.” The initiative is part of the Australian government’s US$692 million Relief and Recovery Fund to support regions, communities and industry sectors that have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cathay Pacific already has a freighter operation at WTB, having launched services in November 2016 with a weekly 747-8F flying HKG-SYD-Melbourne (MEL)-WTB-HKG to transport fresh produce and heavy machinery, among other products. Cathay and Singapore Airlines have both been operating cargo-only flights from HKG and SIN to Adelaide (ADL), Brisbane (BNE), MEL, Perth (PER) and SYD in Australia, while Australian carrier Qantas has also been operating freight-only flights with its A330-300s from BNE, Cairns (CNS), MEL and SYD to Auckland, HKG, SIN, and Tokyo (NRT). The Australian government launched the International Freight Assistance Mechanism on April 1 to help importers and exporters transport medical supplies, agricultural produce and other products. The carriers selected were: Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, FedEx, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Australia.

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