Goondiwindi Cotton lands major win at Wellcamp Airport

A large shipment of Goondiwindi Cotton clothing has been flown directly from overseas to Toowoomba, in what’s being described as a game changer for the region.

The garments are made of 100% local cotton and sent to Asia for manufacturing, but previously had to be flown to Sydney before arriving back on the Downs. 

Bruce McConnel, TSBE FLA General Manager said this is the fifth plane to travel straight from Singapore into Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport that landed this week.

“There was more than two tonnes Goondiwindi Cotton garments in this shipment which shows the scale of the business and how wonderful it is for our region,” said Mr McConnel.

“With the amazing infrastructure that we have locally it is easier to do business in this region.”

“The majority of the supply chain is now happening within the Darling Downs due to the massive investment we’ve had in air, road and rail infrastructure.”

“That shows the growth of the region in terms of what it can do for textile producers and manufacturers and that we can offer a supply chain like never before,” he said.

Since the launch of the Singapore Airlines cargo-only flight in June last year, it has provided businesses from the region with an opportunity to import and export essential goods and local produce through Singapore Airlines’ global network.

Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President South West Pacific, Mr Louis Arul, said since June 19, 2020 they have operated close to 60 flights to and from the region.

“The flights have helped to deliver local produce such as eggs, broccoli and pork to markets in Singapore,” Mr Arul said.  

“With the support of the Commonwealth Government’s International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM), we are very pleased to have had the opportunity to operate to Wellcamp Airport for the past year, supporting local businesses in Australia throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Mr McConnel congratulated all involved in the milestone, which is now giving local businesses an upper hand.

“Flying products straight to Toowoomba can lower costs for local businesses and creates a new opportunity to receive product faster so they can get to market sooner,” said Mr McConnel.

“We recommended that the team at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport contact Goondiwindi Cotton to make this new freight route become a reality.”

Sam Coulton from Goondiwindi Cotton said the arrivals are exciting and there’s more to come.

“We’ll get about 14 tonnes coming in for the Summer season, and it has been coming out of Hong Kong,” he said.