Timeline

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday June 18, 2008

1945: Illawarra Regional Airport completed as training facility for United States Air Force.

1955: Australian Aerial Patrol founded, becoming the only long-term air service to use the airport.

July 1998 - August 2000: Impulse Airlines carries 13,000 passengers on the Melbourne route charging $290 return, before it withdraws from the Illawarra saying it was losing money on the route. Impulse said that although the Wollongong-Melbourne flights were well patronised, the return leg was under-utilised.

February 2002: $2.6 million upgrade of airport announced.

December 2002: Historical Aircraft Restoration Society moves its base from Sydney.

April 2004: Jetstar rules out the airport, citing infrastructure concerns.

October 2004: Shell Aviation $1 million refuelling facility opens at airport.

September 2004: Top Gun Flights given permission for adventure flights after a 12-month trial.

September 2004: NSW Air - first charter service since Impulse withdrew its Melbourne service in 2000.

June 6, 2005: QantasLink starts a 14-flights-a-week service between Wollongong and Melbourne using 36-seat Dash 8 aircraft. It expects to carry 17,500 passengers a year.

September 2005: The number of passengers using the service passes 5000, prompting QantasLink to say it is "not far" from adding an extra return flight a week, possibly on a Sunday, and that other destinations were a possibility.

June 2006: QantasLink says the budgeted passenger numbers were being met, largely due to business travellers.

December 2006: QantasLink reveals passenger numbers have fallen about 25 per cent in the previous five months, with one reason advanced that fewer BlueScope Steel staff were using flights. The airline's figures show its flights are about half full.

June 2007: Figures released by Qantas show the QantasLink service carried little more than 12,500 passengers in the previous year. Qantas regional airlines general manager Narendra Kumar says Qantas is committed to the Illawarra region.

June 2008: Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon announces the airline will exit the "loss-making" Melbourne-Wollongong route from July 18, 2008. Mr Dixon said the route had been underperforming for some time and record fuel prices made it difficult for QantasLink to continue to operate the older Dash 8 aircraft on the route.

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

Back to News Index | Back to Home