CORONAVIRUS SHIFTS FLIGHTS TO WELLCAMP
Airfreight lands at airport after Brisbane route suspended
TOOWOOMBA Wellcamp Airport has seen a huge spike in freight shipments, after the outbreak of novel coronavirus. The unexpected side-effect has been revealed by airport officials and key agriculture lobbyists, who also said the spread of the virus in China had changed demand for produce coming out of the Darling Downs.
Wellcamp Airport general manager Robert Kasch said he had witnessed a more than 40 per cent jump in shipments, which would’ve otherwise been sent to Brisbane underneath passenger flights.
EXTRA freight shipments are flying into the Toowoomba region this week from China, following the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport and Food Leaders Australia yesterday revealed another side-effect of the spread of the potentially deadly virus across the world, which has resulted in suspended flights between China and Brisbane.
Two more freight companies will have flown planes into Wellcamp Airport by the end of the week, including one which has never been to Toowoomba before. Airport general manager Robert Kasch said while produce exporters had been affected by a loss in demand for high-end beef thanks to the Chinese Government’s “stay-at-home” edicts to citizens, his team had seen a 40-50 per cent jump in freight shipments.
“We’ve had a couple of one-off charters in, and freight to Hong Kong on the Cathay service has been really busy,” he said.
“Here in Australia, a lot of flights have been cancelled, and that’s created more demand for freight to move that would normally move on those passenger aircraft in the underbelly to go on our freighter service.
“Percentage-wise, we’re up about 40 or 50 per cent of the freight we’re carrying.”
Mr Kasch said Wellcamp Airport was well-placed to pick up the slack thanks to its large runway and handling capabilities.
Food Leaders Australia general manager Bruce McConnel said the full effects of the virus outbreak would not be known for a while, but he believed China would still require produce.
“Because people are still consuming food and many of our exporters in the region actually have mail-order, they’re still finding that many orders are going through, just in different patterns,” he said.
“For our food producers, we still expect it to be a hit but not material — it is really unknown.”
Mr McConnell said the one-off chartered freight shipments were a perfect audition for Wellcamp Airport.