READY: General manager of Gold Air Marcel Nolet. Picture: PETER WEAVING
A NEW airline based out of Bendigo will be launched on July 1, Gold Air managing director Marcel Nolet announced yesterday.
The airline will operate two flights from Bendigo to Melbourne’s Essendon Airport and two flights back every weekday, with one service each way both Saturdays and Sundays.
Bookings for the 25-minute flights will open on May 1 via the Gold Air website and call centre.
Tickets start at $130, which Mr Nolet said was comparable to similar domestic services.
“Compared to other airlines we are very cheap and have flexibility in our tickets,” he said.
Shuttle buses from Essendon Airport to Tullamarine, parking and catering are included in the ticket price.
The proposed weekday flights will leave Bendigo at 7am, 9am, 3.30pm and 5.30pm, and Melbourne from 8am, 10am, 4.30pm and 6.30pm.
Mr Nolet said the flight times were designed with business day returns in mind.
“Where normally business people will travel three or four hours just to get to Melbourne and back, they can do it in half an hour,” he said.
Mr Nolet said he expected services to other parts of the country including the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Brisbane and Mildura to start by the end of the year.
“We anticipate services to Adelaide by the end of year, then we will look at having services to Sydney within 18 months.”
He said having services out of Bendigo could potentially bring
$15 million profit each year.
“It’ll be great for business in Bendigo,” he said.
“The population will grow, there will be more business opportunities and employment will grow.”