Bendigo Airport hits six figures in QantasLink passengers

THE revamped Bendigo Airport continues its upward trajectory after recently ticking over 100,000 passengers on its QantasLink Bendigo-Sydney flight service since the route’s introduction in April 2019.

The Bendigo-to-Sydney leg of the service operates from Monday to Saturday, departing at 6.45am and arriving in Sydney at 8.25am, meaning business travellers can easily make a morning meeting in the NSW capital’s CBD, and holidaymakers can be on a Gold Coast beach by lunchtime.

Return flights depart Sydney Sunday to Friday at 5.55pm and land on local soil at the respectable time of 7.45pm.

The achievement comes after the opening of the new airport terminal and expanded apron in April last year at a cost of $12 million.

The terminal is four times larger than the old building and includes a new departure lounge and check-in facilities, plus indoor arrivals and baggage collection.

Additionally, in October last year the route’s Q200 and Q300 aircraft were replaced by Qantas’ Dash 8-400 fleet, which are more than 30 per cent faster, can carry around 26 more passengers and are 10 years younger on average.

Amongst all the groundbreaking developments, Vicki Bayliss, Bendigo Airport’s manager since 2021, seems to be living out her career dreams.

“I have a passion for compliance, regulations and operations, so it bundles all my favourite things into one,” she said.

“I love it, it’s such an exciting role and it’s really nice to deliver a great service to the community.”

She said it’s clear that the word is out regarding the advantages of flying from the airport’s new terminal.

“It’s a stress-free experience, with ample parking close to the building, a seamless and quick check-in, and great customer service from our staff,” she said.

“It also means less time commuting to Melbourne.

“Flying direct to Sydney takes less than two hours and provides connection access to more than 100 destinations across Australia and internationally.

“It’s not just travelling Bendigo to Sydney, it’s Bendigo to the rest of the world, which is very exciting.”

Ms Bayliss said she’s also seeing changing travel habits, with the business community especially taking advantage of the close-by service.

“We have regulars who are coming from Sydney to Bendigo to work here and the other way around, so it’s given them and businesses the opportunity to have a presence in other cities that they wouldn’t have been able to,” she said.

Ms Bayliss summed up the opening of the new terminal, upgraded aircraft being introduced and breaking the 100,000 passenger barrier, all in just over twelve months, as a great achievement for her team.

“We love to welcome everybody here and present it really beautifully and make sure that everyone has a great experience,” she said.

“The terminal has really changed. It’s a modern, clean facility now. It’s a real airport.

“I don’t think it’ll be too long before we’re celebrating our next milestone.”

Find out more about flights on the QantasLink Bendigo-Sydney service on the Qantas website.