International capacity at Brisbane Airport (BNE) is now back to 63 percent of pre-COVID numbers, while domestic travel is at 90 percent. “If you think back to this time last year, international arrivals were capped at 1,000 people per week so we’ve come a long way,” said Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff. “When Brisbane Airport is busy, Queensland is busy. And that’s particularly great news for Queenslanders working in the tourism industry from Cairns to Coolangatta.”
Across January, 1.7 million passengers will pass through the Domestic and International terminals, an increase of one million on last January, the airport said. Despite the solid numbers, it’s been smooth travelling for passengers these holidays at BNE, the airport added. “Brisbane Airport has been humming all holiday period. The industry has come a long way since borders reopened last year, so to see more than three million people pass smoothly through Brisbane Airport across December and January is a great sign for Queensland’s economy, de Graaff said. “Our advice remains for travellers to arrive 90 minutes before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international service. Having time up your sleeve so you arrive comfortably at the gate ready for your flight means you get away smoothly.”
Analysing the data, the largest number of overseas tourists has come from New Zealand, the UK and USA. “International tourists arriving via Brisbane Airport are spoilt for choice as they can connect to 53 domestic locations, which is more than any other Australian airport offers. Within Queensland, our busiest routes have been from Brisbane to Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and Rockhampton,” de Graaff said.
Queenslanders travelling overseas have been heading to New Zealand, Bali and the UK.
Full recovery in the International Terminal is expected to take until 2025. “Each time a new flight is added to the schedule our passenger numbers slowly grow. We’re looking forward to Jetstar beginning flights from Brisbane to Auckland from March 27, which will be the first time there’s been a low-cost carrier servicing this very important route for Queensland,” de Graaff said.
January by the numbers – Domestic and International Passenger Numbers
- 2023: 1.7 million (forecast)
- 2022: 741,860
- 2021: 586,787
- 2020: 2,121,383
- 2019: 2,028,763
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