Hervey Bay Airport was established in 1963 for commercial aviation. The airport, which is located in Urangan, 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) southeast of Pialba, re-opened in mid-2005, after the existing airfield underwent an $11.5 million upgrade which included the construction of a new terminal building and the extension of the existing 1,500 m (4,921 ft) runway to 2,000 m (6,562 ft) to accommodate jet services from Virgin Australia. Up until September 2006, Sunshine Express Airlines provided daily services to the airport from Brisbane. The airline ceased all scheduled operations on 1 October 2006 after a proposed acquisition by Regional Express Airlines was terminated and an intention by QantasLink for the introduction of Brisbane services was announced. In 2006, the airport was the fastest growing in Queensland with passenger numbers almost doubling. In June 2017, Fraser Coast mayor Chris Loft and JetGo announced that the airline would commence two direct services per week from Hervey Bay Airport to Melbourne's Essendon Airport, as well as direct services to Brisbane. Due to have commenced on 21 July 2017, the service never commenced due to a lack of bookings. Direct services to and from Brisbane were also cancelled after JetGo entered voluntary administration later that year. In November 2023, Fraser Coast mayor George Seymour and Jetstar announced that direct flights between Melbourne (Tullamarine) and Hervey Bay would commence in June 2024.