Maranoa Regional Council Advocates for Q400 Pilot at Roma Airport

Council is urging the State Government, through the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR), to urgently support a pilot for Q400 flights into the Roma Airport, 3 times a week.

The Maranoa Regional Council is urging the State Government, through the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR), to urgently support a pilot for Q400 flights into the Roma Airport, 3 times a week, as part of the Central One Regulated Passenger Transport (RPT) contract.

If approved, this will allow Rex Airline to substitute their current Saab-340 aircraft with the 82 seat Q400, three times a week.  At its 24 January 2024 meeting, the Maranoa Regional Council unanimously voted for this solution.

Mayor Tyson Golder said “The RPT service is an important passenger service for our community – we urgently need increased capacity so that residents can travel for medical appointments, business and holidays. This solution would make an extra 312 seats available between Roma and Brisbane each week. This problem has been going on for 12 months and we ask that State Government approve this Rex Airlines pilot as quickly as possible.”

The Maranoa Regional Council has been advocating with the Murweh Shire and Rex to DTMR for additional flights and capacity since early 2023. Rex has proposed a solution to DTMR in August 2023 that could be implemented very quickly should DTMR agree to the pilot.

If DTMR approves, both the Murweh Shire and the Maranoa Regional Council can then work on any other issues to ensure cost effective solutions with immediate results.

The Central One, Brisbane – Roma – Brisbane Regulated Passenger Route (RPT) is a non-subsidised route provided by the Queensland State Government and any changes to the flight schedule are subject to their approval.

The South West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (SWQROC) have been collaboratively advocating for increased capacity on the Central One Route and the Western One Route since early 2023.