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Ms Chesters said while currently the only flights from the airport are to Sydney, Qantas could consider opening more routes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe conversations will now be happening with Qantas and other airlines about travel to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide and beyond,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunity we now have as locals to travel is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Chesters said other airlines like Rex and Virgin have also shown an interest in the airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy flying in and out of a city like Bendigo, you don\u2019t just engage Greater Bendigo, you engage the region,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople who may not have considered air travel do if they know they\u2019re an hour away from an airport that can connect them to the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
City of Greater Bendigo CEO Craig Neimann said with work starting at the airport, more partnerships between State, Federal and local government can be expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t do this on our own, this is a $10 million project,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t afford to put all our eggs in that basket, we\u2019ve got to spread our projects and services across the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Neimann said current projects requiring a funding partnership include the Bendigo Art Gallery upgrade, the Golden Dragon Museum upgrade, the Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct in Marong, and upgrades to venues for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FASTEN your seatbelts and prepare for take-off because the Bendigo Airport expansion project is officially underway. Victorian Minister for Regional Development, Harriet Shing, was joined by Federal Member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters, local state members of parliament, and representatives of the City of Greater Bendigo last Wednesday to mark the start of construction on the […]<\/p>\n