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Last Updated: Tuesday, 17 December 2024 16:02
Toowoomba Aerodrome

The Toowoomba City Aerodrome is located 5 kilometres west of the CBD in the suburb of Wilsonton. The aerodrome is home to a number of flying schools, charter operators, business operators and maintenance providers, as well as being home to one of the finest collection of warbirds in Australia. Many visitors to the aerodrome have enjoyed the sights and sounds above the garden city with a warbird adventure flight.

The Toowoomba City Aerodrome is utilised for fly-in-fly-out and itinerant workers who use the aerodrome as a base for work travel to and from Toowoomba. 

Contact information

Aerodrome office: Mutze Street (Building 08)
Office hours: 9am to 4pm (Monday to Friday). Closed public holidays
Office phone: 07 4688 6117
After hours (incl. emergencies): 131 872 - ask for the on-call aerodrome reporting officer

Location

Mutze Street, Wilsonton

Open location in Google Maps

Feedback

We welcome all feedback in reference to the Toowoomba City Aerodrome. To contact aerodrome management directly please email us.

 

Conditions of access and use

Before accessing the aerodrome, you should make yourself familiar with our Toowoomba Region aerodrome conditions of access and use. 

 

Fees and charges

The set fees for the aerodrome can be viewed in our Register of Fees & Charges.

 

Facilities, services and businesses located at the aerodrome

+ - Facilities and services Click to collapse

Aerodrome facilities

The Toowoomba City Aerodrome Terminal is easily accessible and available for daily use from 4am-9pm. This includes access to toilets, including disabled access. Toilets remain accessible after hours, with entry available through the main/itinerant apron door.

Training facilities

Providers who supply aircraft training include Darling Downs Aero Club, Aerotec and Team Aviation. See the Toowoomba City Aerodrome business directory for contact details.

Maintenance providers

Aircraft maintenance services on offer at the aerodrome include general electrical, paint and panel, radio maintenance, CASA regulation maintenance programme. There are seven providers of aircraft maintenance services at the Toowoomba City Aerodrome. See the Toowoomba City Aerodrome business directory for contact details.

Charters/joy flights

Many operators provide a variety of flight services. See the Toowoomba City Aerodrome business directory for contact details.

War bird collection

There are a number of fully restored and functional war bird aircraft located at the Toowoomba Aerodrome including Trojans, Harvards, Yaks, Bi-plane, Steerman, and Nanchang.

Memorials

There are three memorials at the Toowoomba City Aerodrome including the Air Vice Marshall Bennett memorial, Guido Zuccoli and the Kittyhawk memorial. 

+ - Toowoomba City Aerodrome business directory Click to collapse

Aerodrome management (Toowoomba Regional Council)

  • Building: B08 (Aerodrome Operations Office)
  • Address: Mutze St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4688 6117
  • After hours (incl. emergencies): 131 872 - ask for the on-call aerodrome reporting officer.

Aerotec Queensland

  • Building: B27
  • Address: Spitfire St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4633 1315
  • Website: www.aerotec.com.au 

Air BP (Agents Austrek Aviation)

  • Building: B37
  • Address: Spitfire St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4659 0600
  • Website: www.austrekair.com.au

Approved Aircraft Maintenance

Austrek Aviation

  • Building: B37
  • Address: Spitfire St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4659 0600
  • Website: www.austrekair.com.au

Aviation Specialists Toowoomba

Complete Avionics

  • Building: B10
  • Address: Mutze St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4634 6355
  • Website: www.completeavionics.com

Darling Downs Aero Club

  • Building: B05
  • Address: Mutze St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4634 2777
  • Website: www.ddac.com.au

FKG Group

  • Building: B21
  • Address: Spitfire St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4620 0500
  • Website: www.fkg.com.au

Jetfix Aircraft Maintenance

  • Building: B36
  • Address: Spitfire St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4634 4448
  • Website: https://jetfix.com.au/

Lifeflight Toowoomba Base

  • Building: B40
  • Address:180 McDougall St, Toowoomba, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4633 7299
  • Website: www.lifeflight.org.au

Neil Mansell Group

  • Building: B25
  • Address: Spitfire St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4634 2911
  • Website: www.mansell.com.au

RDO Equipment

  • Building: B17
  • Address: Spitfire St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4631 4800
  • Website: www.rdoequipment.com.au 

Team Aviation

  • Building: B35
  • Address: Spitfire St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 3556 6216
  • Website: www.teamaviation.com.au 

Ventia (Easternwell Group)

  • Building: B20
  • Address: Spitfire St, Toowoomba City Aerodrome, QLD 4350
  • Phone: 07 4659 1555
  • Website: www.ventia.com   

 

Click on map to enlarge or print.

aerodrome map

 

Aerodrome events

Events at our aerodrome are sure to thrill. One of these events, the Wings and Wheels David Hack Memorial Classic Meet entertains crowds of visitors annually in May.

 

Toowoomba City Aerodrome review

Toowoomba Regional Council unanimously endorsed a motion to continue operating the Toowoomba City Aerodrome on 28 May 2024. Council endorsed undertaking a review to ensure leases, fees and charges are commercially competitive and in line with similar aerodromes.

Council will undertake a further detailed review within the next two years.  

A simultaneous review (see below) will be conducted into the Toowoomba City Aerodrome’s operations and services, including the financial and non-financial benefits and costs to the community.

The operations and services review will cover internally and externally provided operations and services.

Review of aerodrome activities and sites

In September 2024, Council appointed consultant, AEC Group Pty Ltd (AEC), to carry out a review of Council’s aerodrome operations and services.

As part of the review, AEC has carried out the stakeholder engagement component, with an extensive range of stakeholders being involved. AEC contacted leaseholders to discuss the services and activities provided and utilised by aerodrome lessees and users.

Information sought by AEC included employment and expenditure associated with activities undertaken at the aerodrome to better understand the economic benefits, in addition to the community benefits provided by the aerodrome and potential improvement opportunities that may help to maximise the value of the aerodrome to Council, lessees, users and the broader community.

Terms of reference for study being undertaken by AEC

1. Review to be completed for all aerodrome sites identifying current services and activities. These services and activities may be delivered either internally by Council, lessees or externally by contractors. 

2. Provide comparative benchmarking data of financial and non-financial benefits of lease rates, fees and charges for similar aerodrome facilities, operations and activities. 

3. Quantify financial and non-financial benefits and disbenefits.

4. Provide comparative data of like land, not an aerodrome, should there be limited public availability of commercial information such as aerodrome lease fees. 

5. Complete a detailed financial review including income, expenditure and other relevant factors to identify at least a cost recovery price path for the Toowoomba City Aerodrome or better. 

6. Undertake engagement of council officers, lessees and current users of the facilities.

7. Provide interim presentation to Council of findings and proposed outcomes including options that cover:

    • any recommendations and activities to be implemented or discontinued to achieve improved cost recovery outcomes
    • phase in/phase out timeframes for any changes to activities.

8. Review Council feedback and complete further review where required.

9. Provide a final report to Council with recommendations/options for further consideration. 

The next component, the financial, operational, and economic impact review, will be completed by the end of January 2025. Following the review, a report will be prepared for Council’s further consideration and the subsequent outcomes of the review will be communicated to lessees and the public.

Review background

The aerodrome, like all of Council’s assets, is subject to an annual full cost pricing review for both budget and annual financial reporting purposes. (see: Toowoomba Regional Council Annual Report 2022/23 PDF)

Reporting for previous financial years has shown that Council does not recover the full cost of the aerodrome activities from revenue generated by leases, fees and charges.

The review was carried out in accordance with National Competition Policy and appropriate sections of the Local Government Act 2009 and the Local Government Regulation 2012. Further reviews will include a separation of data between Toowoomba City Aerodrome, Pittsworth Airfield, Millmerran Airfield and the Crows Nest Emergency Helipad.

Council has engaged external consultants to review current leases, fees and charges to ensure they are commercially competitive in nature.

Current leases are currently under review to ensure best practice and will continue for the duration of that review. Any new lease fees or conditions will be negotiated when leases are up for renewal. It is anticipated that new leases will be issued to existing tenants when the review has been finalised. Noting there is substantial work requirements to enable issue of the new lease documents.

For enquiries made by new tenants for a site at the Toowoomba Aerodrome, these will be assessed post the existing tenants entering new lease arrangements.

+ - 2022/23 Annual Report surplus/deficit Click to collapse

The below table was presented in the May 2024 Ordinary Meeting of Council and explains the reporting of the 2022/23 Annual Report Surplus/Deficit for the identified Toowoomba City Aerodrome data only:

    % $   $   $ 
Operating Revenue        
  Lease revenue, fees and charges $      813,702     
  Community Service Obligations paid by Council's General Fund $      231,157   $   1,044,859   
           
Operating Cost        
  Labour, goods and services $      944,072     
  Depreciation   $      327,742     
  Land tax, general rate equivalents $   1,079,509     
  Corporate Overheads $      191,312     
  Other competitive neutrality adjustments -$         4,531   $   2,538,104   
Operating Deficit       -$1,493,245
Assets          
  Buildings and Equipment $11,526,183    
  Land   $27,374,026  $ 38,900,209   
           
  Less Underutilised Land, Buildings and Equipment $   6,649,287   
Net Assets     $32,250,922  
Required Return On Capital 6.73%      
$ Return on Capital       $2,170,487
Net Shortfall       $3,663,732

Revenue was insufficient to cover expenditure ($813,702 - $2,538,104 = shortfall $1,724,402) to which is added the Community Service Obligation ($231,157) resulting in an operating deficit of $1,493,245.

Local Government Regulation 2012 Schedule 4(4)(1)(g) includes the requirement for the return on capital to be included in total costs. When applying the rate of return of 6.73% ($2,170,487) on asset values, this results in a deficit of $3.66 million.

The $1,493,245 operating deficit is the direct cost of operations to the region’s ratepayers. (This is the approximately $1.5 million cost that was mentioned in the Council meeting.) When applying the rate of return on investments there is a deficit of $3.66 million.

A comparison of five (5) year’s Annual Report National Competition Policy Notes to the Financial Statements data for all aerodrome business activity is: 

$'000 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23
Revenue for services provided to the Council  -  -  -  -  -
Revenue for services provided to external clients 485 730 443 645 732
Community Service Obligations (CSO) 1,220 1,238 1,261 1,271 1,336
  1,705 1,968 1,704 1,916 2,068
Less: Expenditure -1,785 -1,708 -2,115 -2,478 -2,465
Surplus (Deficit) -80 260 -411 -562 -397

The calculation of the CSO is governed by the Local Government Act 2009 and the Local Government Regulation 2012. The inclusion of the CSO as an income component reduces the deficit. For example, for 2022/23, direct income less direct expenditure results in a deficit of $1,733,000 ($732,000 - $2,465,000) and after including the CSO the deficit is $397,000.

 

Forms & handbooks

+ - Application forms & handbooks Click to collapse

Transport - Toowoomba City Aerodrome - Notice of intended use of a crane / high clearance plant (online)

Toowoomba City Aerodrome aircraft term parking application (online)

For a copy of the following forms please email: aerodrome@tr.qld.gov.au

  • Toowoomba Region authority to use airside application
  • Toowoomba Region authority to drive airside application
  • Toowoomba Region Aerodrome conditions of access and use
  • Toowoomba City Aerodrome training and induction handbook
  • Pavement Concession Request Form
  • Key / Remote Control / Swipe Card Application
  • High Clearance Plant Resource Kit
+ - En Route Supplement Australia (ERSA documentation) Click to collapse

You can view the applicable aeronautical information package by visiting the Airservices web page. Simply open the page, find the aerodrome location (Toowoomba) and open the associated links.

 

High clearance plant information

+ - High clearance plant Click to collapse

As the owner and operator of the Toowoomba Aerodrome,Toowoomba Regional Council has an important role in providing safe operating conditions for all aerodrome users. To ensure that all proposed activities comply with the relevant legislation and Council's local policies and procedures, applications must be lodged with the Aerodrome Operations office at least 48 business hours prior to high clearance plant being used.

Definition of a high clearance plant

High clearance plant, is plant such as cranes and concrete boom pumps that are sometimes used in major building projects to assist with construction works and maintenance works of larger buildings.

Concerns related to high clearance plants

Due to the location of the Toowoomba aerodrome and the growth that Toowoomba is experiencing, the requirement and demand for building is also increasing. The height at which high clearance plant can go to, particularly cranes, can penetrate into airspace that the Aerodrome Operator has to protect under the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Regulations. CASA are the governing body who determines both Aviation rules and Regulations. Under these rules the Aerodrome Operator has to implement a protection layer known as the Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS).

The OLS protects the aerodrome for up to 15 kilometres, which is inhabited by residential land industrial areas. Therefore it is of utmost importance that operators of high clearance plant inform the Aerodrome Operations Office of pending works.The Aerodrome Operations Office requires at least 48 business hrs notice.

Related documents

Transport - Toowoomba City Aerodrome - Notice of intended use of a crane / high clearance plant (online)

 

Useful links

Airservices

Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)

Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre (CISC)