Monday 2 June: In a vote of confidence for regional Queensland, Virgin Australia has today announced the increased utilisation of Boeing 737 aircraft for services on its Mount Isa and Townsville routes – a move welcomed by locals and tourism operators in both regions.
From late July 2025, the carrier will deploy its Boeing 737 aircraft to the Brisbane-Mount Isa route, offering a dual-cabin experience with Business and Economy seating, which until now has been supplemented by Alliance Airlines’ Fokker 100 aircraft through a partner agreement.
The Brisbane-Townsville route is also set for a boost, with an increase in Boeing 737-operated services, injecting over 6,000 additional monthly seats from November this year.
Virgin Australia Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Alistair Hartley said the move reflects the airline’s ongoing investment in regional travel.
“These routes are critical to regional Queenslanders who regularly commute for work, and as a business we see the value in the enhanced product offering the bigger aircraft provides our customers,” he said.
“As we modernise our fleet with more next-generation Boeing aircraft, we are able to refine our network schedule and increasingly deploy our larger B737s on regional routes that have traditionally been serviced through a partner agreement.”
“By operating our Boeing 737 aircraft on more flights, we can offer increased value and choice to our customers, more seats, and greater connectivity to Mount Isa and Townsville, further aligning our flying to our pre-COVID levels for these key regional hubs.”
Queensland Airports Limited Chief Commercial Officer, Adam Rowe commended the airline for its ongoing commitment to regional Queensland.
"Virgin Australia’s decision to upsize to Boeing 737 aircraft at Mount Isa and Townsville airports is positive news for the North and North West Queensland communities,” said Mr Rowe.
“Services to and from Brisbane are the top route for passengers at both Townsville and Mount Isa airports, with many flights fully booked – so it’s great to see Virgin Australia adding more capacity and an enhanced product offering to cater to demand.
“We’re proud to work with airline partners like Virgin Australia to ensure the region is well-positioned for the future.”
Townsville Enterprise CEO, Claudia Brumme-Smith said: “Townsville Enterprise welcomes today’s announcement by Virgin Australia to up-gauge aircraft on the Brisbane to Townsville route. It’s fantastic to see Queensland’s own airline backing North Queensland and responding to growing demand.”
“We’ve long advocated for increased capacity and upgraded aircraft on this critical route, and it’s great to see Virgin Australia stepping up to support the region’s needs.”
“This upgrade will deliver a great boost to Townsville’s busiest air route, adding around 6,000 extra return seats per month, but it will also inject between $1.5M and $3M million into the local economy each month.”
“More seats mean more visitors, stronger tourism outcomes, improved connectivity for business travel, and greater liveability for locals who rely on this essential link.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITOR
- Virgin Australia currently operates up to three return services per week between Brisbane and Mount Isa. There are no changes to flight timings or days of operation, ensuring continued convenience for travellers.
- Virgin Australia currently operates up to five return services a day between Brisbane and Townsville.
- Based on operational and schedule requirements, there will continue to be times during the season where the route is serviced by the Fokker 100 aircraft.
- Virgin Australia makes no guarantees that the Boeing 737 will be available for all customers on this route.
