Virgin Australia also announced increased capacity on its Brisbane-Perth route, with the use of the new wide-body Airbus A330.

Premier Campbell Newman said Virgin Australia’s decision to increase flights and capacity in Queensland will continue to drive growth in its tourism and mining sectors.

“On behalf of the Queensland government, I thank Virgin Australia for its continued investment in regional Queensland,” he said.

“This will be great news for the people of Bundaberg, who have suffered so much in recent weeks.

“Increased flights into Moranbah will also provide significant benefit for the local community and mining workforce that commute to the area.”

Tourism Minister Jann Stuckey said a key reason for the recent growth in the Queensland tourism industry was the ability of the Newman government to attract new flights.

“The Newman government has worked extremely hard to secure additional flights to Queensland from both domestic and international airlines,” Stuckey said.

“Qantas, Etihad, China Eastern Airlines, Hawaiian and now Virgin Australia have all added new flights to Queensland over the past four months.

“Today’s announcement is more good news for Queensland’s tourism industry.”

Flights between Brisbane and Moranbah start on April 2. Flights between Brisbane and Bundaberg will begin on May 4. The Airbus A330 will be used on select flights between Brisbane and Perth from May 15.