Bali link vital for our city

IT IS a shame that the Bali experiment has been a challenge for Jetstar.

The resumption of international flights out of Townsville back in September 2015 was a shot in the arm for our city, especially in signalling to the world that we are a true global destination.

The timing of the Jetstar drama, in the context of the ongoing feud between Townsville Airport and Qantas, is curious.

While certainly the carrier would have data to show it has struggled to keep the Bali service operating, it would be disappointing if the threat of Jetstar’s withdrawal is some kind of hardball negotiating tactic by Qantas.

As outlined in the on Saturday, Townsville’s airport is below par for services and undersized.

Hopefully the stakeholders will today work together and come up with a workable strategy to keep Jetstar’s Bali flights going.

At risk is Townsville’s status as an international airport. It would be very disappointing if the work being done to market the city abroad and attract airlines to the North came to nothing.

When the international service was launched, many in the community were critical of Bali being the destination, with strong support for other destinations, especially New Zealand.

Townsville Enterprise is still exploring this option, but the Bali route was marketed as not only an affordable overseas holiday destination but a launch point for Asia and the rest of the world.

Cowboys have the heart

OUR heroic North Queensland Cowboys have done it again, knocking off the reigning premiers and delivering some sweet revenge for them knocking us out of the finals race last year.

The team played with courage and belief and proved that, while it has been a couple of years since the historic premiership win in 2015, the Cowboys have the team, the skills and the heart to match it with the best in the competition.

Go Cowboys!