Massive intrastate growth out of BNE

Thanks to BAC

Qld intrastate travel booming

19/04/2012

Brisbane Airport’s recent passenger figures indicate intrastate travel between Brisbane and regional Queensland is growing at more than double the rate of interstate travel.

So significant is the growth that once popular interstate routes are being pushed out of Brisbane’s top 20 city pairs.

Launceston and Hobart have dropped out of the top 20 to make way for Moranbah and Roma, with Gladstone and Emerald also moving up the rankings.

The fastest growing intrastate routes in passenger volume terms for Brisbane Airport include Gladstone, Mackay, Moranbah, Cairns, Emerald, Roma, Whitsunday Coast (Proserpine), Rockhampton, Hervey Bay and Townsville.

Brisbane Airport Corporation’s (BAC) CEO and Managing Director, Julieanne Alroe, said after Sydney, Brisbane has the next best domestic network of all Australian airports in terms of the number of destinations offered.

“Brisbane Airport currently has 44 domestic destinations in its network, 25 of which are Queensland towns or cities,” she said.

With over 1,300 flights and almost 140,000 seats to and from intrastate destinations each week on average, Brisbane Airport continues to play an important role in keeping the State connected.

“In the last 12 months we’ve seen 22 per cent growth in flights and 20 per cent growth in seats offered to and from intrastate destinations and we expect this trend to continue,” she said.

As well as keeping regional communities connected to the capital city, Brisbane Airport’s extensive intrastate network also helps take international visitors in Brisbane to regional destinations.

The International Visitor Survey conducted by Tourism Research Australia noted that last calendar year 42 percent of all international visitors to Queensland’s tourism regions entered Australia at Brisbane Airport.

“Brisbane Airport is the front-door to Queensland for many international visitors.

“This is why BAC’s commitment to investing in development including upgrading existing airport infrastructure and building for the future is so important for Queensland as a whole,” Ms Alroe said.

In March, total passenger numbers through Brisbane Airport increased by 7.9 per cent, with an additional 127,000 travellers through the Domestic and International Terminals compared to the same time last year.

Separately, international passengers increased by 11.1 per cent year-on-year, with domestic traffic up 7.1 per cent for the same period.