Regional airline mogul Paul Bredereck has supreme confidence in the viability of the route and claimed “we are going to launch a (Wagga to Brisbane) service, it’s just a matter of when” after spending the day assessing locals’ appetite for a a non-stop 85-minute flight to the Queensland capital.

Confirmation of the service is still months away, but The Daily Advertiser understands highly regulated staff training is the most significant hurdle in the way of Wagga’s third airline.

It comes four months since Mr Bredereck revealed he had been in discussions with council staff, having launched an Albury to Brisbane service.

Since then Mr Bredereck claims “the phone has rung hot with two to three phone calls per week from people in Wagga” urging him to commit to the state’s largest inland city. 

The former regional airline pilot with nearly 40 years of aviation management experience has been rolling out a whole host of regional routes based on the competitive advantage of jets having longer range than existing turbo-propeller carriers.

Mr Bredereck said Wagga is “very comparable” to Jetgo’s other Brisbane routes including Dubbo, Tamworth and Albury, as all are “key regional hibs that serve much larger hinterlands and serve as focal points for regional commerce”.

“The feedback we got today was largely what we wanted and the ball is now in Jetgo’s court,” he said.

“We intend to start with 1,000 to 1,200 passengers per month and build over time.”

The Jetgo managing director said Albury’s close proximity to Wagga would not cannibalise the Brisbane market. 

“The size of the market is such that right now we’re running four flights out of Albury, but we should have eight or nine,” Mr Bredereck said.

Wagga airport – currently used by 400,000 passengers per year – will soon be upgraded to include an undercover baggage claim after a $2 million state grant was announced by Wagga MP Daryl Maguire in May.