VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: More Boeing 737s for Mount Isa and Townsville

Virgin Australia is doubling down on regional Queensland, announcing a major boost to its Mount Isa and Townsville routes with increased deployment of its Boeing 737 fleet. The move, effective from late July 2025 for Mount Isa and from November 2025 for Townsville, is set to deliver more seats and a better flying experience.

Mount Isa gets a jetset upgrade

From late July, Virgin Australia will roll out its Boeing 737s on the Brisbane-Mount Isa route, replacing many of the Alliance Airlines Fokker 100s that have long serviced the region. Passengers can look forward to either a Business or Economy experience—an upgrade that’s been keenly anticipated by the community and local tourism operators

Townsville’s capacity takes off

Townsville isn’t missing out. Starting in November, Virgin will ramp up its Boeing 737-operated services on the Brisbane-Townsville run. That will see 6,000 additional seats each month.

Regional commitment

Virgin’s Alistair Hartley says the move is all about investing in regional travel. That means meeting the needs of Queenslanders who rely on these routes for work and leisure.

“By operating our Boeing 737 aircraft on more flights, we can offer increased value and choice to our customers, more seats, and greater connectivity to Mount Isa and Townsville, further aligning our flying to our pre-COVID levels for these key regional hubs.”

Alistair Hartley, Virgin Australia Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer

Locals welcome the news

Enthusiasm has been the reaction to the announcement from regional stakeholders. Queensland Airports Limited Chief Commercial Officer, Adam Rowe, praised Virgin’s commitment:

“Virgin Australia’s decision to upsize to Boeing 737 aircraft at Mount Isa and Townsville airports is positive news for the North and North West Queensland communities. Services to and from Brisbane are the top route for passengers at both Townsville and Mount Isa airports, with many flights fully booked – so it’s great to see Virgin Australia adding more capacity and an enhanced product offering to cater to demand.”

Adam Rowe, Queensland Airports Limited Chief Commercial Officer

And Townsville is pretty over the moon too:

“This upgrade will deliver a great boost to Townsville’s busiest air route, adding around 6,000 extra return seats per month, but it will also inject between $1.5M and $3M into the local economy each month”

Claudia Brumme-Smith, Townsville Enterprise CEO

While the Fokker 100 will continue to make occasional appearances based on operational needs, the lion’s share of flights will be on the roomier, more modern Boeing 737s. No guarantees every flight will be a 737, but the odds just got a whole lot better for regional flyers

2PAXfly Takeout

This aircraft upgrade is going to make travelling around regional Queensland much more appealing. I particularly applaud the better service to Townsville, which often has to play second fiddle to Cairns.

If you are venturing up to Far North Queensland, don’t just think of going to Cairns. Consider Townsville. It is less touristy and has a dryer climate. It is worth considering.