Queensland Airports Limited (QAL) has recorded a bumper FY26, outpacing the national average for airport passenger growth, with passengers increasing by 6.2% and international numbers soaring by 25% year on year.
The airport group, which is the largest regional airport operator in the country, welcomed 8.4 million passengers across Gold Coast, Townsville, Mount Isa and Longreach airports, an increase of half a million passengers on FY25.
Gold Coast Airport recorded the most substantial growth, with passenger numbers increasing 7.7% on FY25 to 6.5 million. International traffic was the standout, with the airport also marking its busiest year on record for Trans-Tasman travel.
QAL CEO Amelia Evans said the outstanding result was driven by strong airline relationships and growing demand for travel across the regions it serves.
“We welcomed multiple additional services across our network this year including from Gold Coast to Bali, Fiji, Hamilton, Dunedin and Auckland as well as increased capacity on key markets such as Gold Coast–Melbourne, Gold Coast–Sydney and Townsville–Brisbane,” she said.
“These results are a testament to the advocacy of our team, the support of our government and tourism partners and the confidence our airline partners have in the regions our airports serve.
“Gold Coast Airport in particular recorded significant growth, with domestic passenger numbers up 6%, Trans-Tasman travel increasing by more than 20% and other international markets growing by more than 53% on FY25.”
Townsville Airport welcomed 1.7 million passengers, around 2% up on FY25.
“In Townsville, leisure and business demand remained strong – with airlines boosting capacity on the Brisbane route by more than 120,000 additional seats, helping drive 6% growth in passengers travelling on the service,” Ms Evans said.
Mount Isa and Longreach airports welcomed 233,000 and 34,000 passengers respectively.