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 and services

 

Aerodrome events

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

 

Forms & handbooks

 

High clearance plant information

 

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.

 

Useful links

Airservices

Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)

Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre (CISC)