Chris Mills: Gold Coast Airport CEO reveals all after departure
A leading Gold Coast business figure has revealed how the city came close to losing a $500m mega project which will transform the economy during the next decade.
Gold Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gold Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Gold Coast is back.
Booming visitor numbers beating pre-Covid shutdown figures and international events aplenty lined up on the back of a $500m expansion of the airport opening in September have fuelled a tourism capital resurgence.
But most people have no idea how close it came to not happening.
Gold Coast Airport bosses – at the height of the original Covid lockdown in 2020 – have revealed they were on the verge of pulling the pin on the new terminal project.
Outgoing CEO Chris Mills, who exited on Thursday after seven years, admitted the project was almost put on ice after passenger numbers plummeted 99 per cent in April 2020.
“In April 2020 we had 1500 passengers come through the terminal for the whole month, which today are the kind of numbers we get hourly,” he told the Bulletin on the eve of his departure.
“To be down 99 per cent in traffic, it meant the shareholders and board had to weigh up the different options, including whether we could afford to keep building with limited revenue coming in.
“We didn’t know when it was going to end but the decision was made that continuing the build was the right thing to do. That’s been justified by the record domestic visitor numbers which we are seeing now.”
That faith has paid off, with passenger numbers passing through the airport terminal in June exceeding the same month in 2019 by 10 per cent.
Tourism bosses have hailed the decision as a far-reaching and “tremendous legacy”.
Village Road Show chief operating officer Bikash Randhawa said: “The person who does not sit still while everyone else does comes out winning, so the airport doing that was the right decision.
“Crowds have been really good for us these school holidays and going forward we are already seeing the corporate market rebound.
“Forward bookings are strong. As the world opens up we will start to see international visitors blending back in which will be fantastic for tourism too.”
Mr Mills, who announced his shock resignation in March, led the airport through the pandemic and was given an emotional farewell at a function inside the terminal on Wednesday night alongside his successor, Amelia Evans.
Civic leaders paid tribute to his efforts and legacy, including planning for the future light and heavy rail connections to the terminal.
New Destination Gold Coast data shows tourism is booming this school holidays. Hotel occupancy for the three-week period averages 70 per cent but is spiking as high as 90 per cent on some days.
The Gold Coast is the number one most searched destination domestically for Australians this winter according to Booking.com data.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said inquiries were flooding in, a welcome change from a year ago this week when a snap lockdown torpedoed the school holidays period.
“The school holiday rush is excitingly on and we are expecting it to contribute up to $221 million into the Gold Coast economy. There is still availability and the sheer scale of our industry here on the Gold Coast means we have got lots of options for families.”
The school holidays come as the city marks the return of one of its biggest annual events - the Gold Coast Marathon this weekend, which pumped $32.5m into the city pre-Covid.
It coincides with the second anniversary of Major Events Gold Coast, the council-controlled entity securing big ticket money-spinners.
Big wins so far are the Pacific Air Show - it’s five-year deal begins in 2023 and is tipped to attract 150,000 visitors and inject $25m in its first year alone. Others are an IBF Cruiserweight World Title Fight, upcoming English Premier League Leeds United vs. Roar match, and December’s UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup.
Inside story: Why Coast Airport boss resigned
GOLD Coast Airport boss Chris Mills distinctly remembers the echo of his feet as he walked through the empty terminal in March, 2020.
He was on his way to watch the final flight land before everything went into a Covid lockdown.
He walked those empty halls and concourses countless times during the following months, devastated at watching everything he’d spent five years working on fall apart under the relentless restrictions of the pandemic.
At one point, terminal traffic was down 99 per cent, with just a handful of flights arriving in a week. At its peak, Gold Coast Airport saw 420 flights weekly.
But even in that moment. Mr Mills admits he never thought about quitting his post.
Fast forward two years and many sleepless nights later and Mr Mills again walked through the terminal, but this time the laughter and tears were back as he witness the first overseas flights land, reuniting loved ones.
In that moment just recently, as international borders reopened, he realised it was time to say goodbye after seven years in the role.
“It’s never easy to say when the right time is going to be but I felt like a lot had been achieved and all the goals I had set out to deliver had largely been done,” he said in his first interview since his shock resignation.
“We went through some really tough times and it was never an intention of mine to leave during the pandemic. I absolutely couldn’t have done that but now the recovery is underway, the flight schedules are getting better and it just felt right.
“It wasn’t like I had thought about it for a long time, but we are almost done with the $500m terminal expansion and the worst of the pandemic has passed so it was natural to think about what is next.
“If I had to find a neat point in time to hand over, it was soon.”
Mr Mills announced his resignation last week, blindsiding many business and tourism leaders who had hoped he would stay on to see the terminal expansion open and lead the airport forward to the 2032 Olympic Games.
Colleagues praised him as a “top-notch executive” while Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said he had been an “inspiration”.
“We acknowledge Chris for his strong leadership at Gold Coast Airport and commitment to building connectivity, strengthening passenger numbers, and inevitably growing our city,” she said.
“Chris has also led the airport and the Gold Coast through an extremely challenging two years and he leaves the airport in not only a solid position, but one that is now poised for success as we reopen to the world.
“His legacy will continue long after June. The $500 million airport expansion that will double the terminal’s existing footprint, the Rydges Hotel that opened during the pandemic and his contribution to tourism across the City and State is something we will always be grateful for.”
An internal and external search will now begin for the next CEO.
Mr Mills spent 25 years working in the Gold Coast tourism industry before being appointed CEO of Queensland Airports, heading up the Gold Coast, Townsville and Mount Isa airports in 2015.
Before that he worked for the state government and as an accountant.
This week marks a month since the first international flight from Asia in nearly two years arrived on the Gold Coast.
Mr Mills said he was sad to leave but delighted at how rapidly the city had recovered from the Covid shut down.
“I’ve had nearly eight years, two of them were tough, but in the good times we had record years, new destinations added and much to cheer about while we have already gone international flights back,” he said.
“We have seen amazingly emotional reunions. That has been a huge highlight and it’s a reminder of what we do is bring people together and it means a lot to make a difference like that.
“A positive of the pandemic is Gold Coast businesses worked as a team more than ever – the theme parks and operators, Destination Gold Coast and the airport: We were all united through the hard times and that sets us up as team Gold Coast
“We can achieve really great things working together.”
Mr Mills said the city and airport had a bright future heading towards the Olympic Games but it needed one thing to make it a success – the extension of the light rail.
Seeing the light rail expand will be exciting – it really needs to happen and we have incorporated the path for it through the precinct,” he said.
“I won’t be here for it but the team will work with the government to deliver it.
“It will be so important for the airport and for the whole Gold Coast.”
‘NOBODY SAW IT COMING’
The Gold Coast business world has been left reeling after the shock resignation of one of the sector’s leading figures.
Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills announced on Tuesday he would resign on June 30 after eight years in the role, including leading the devastated tourism sector through the Covid-era, when passenger numbers fell by 99 per cent.
An internal and external search will now begin for the next CEO.
His departure comes just months out from the completion of the $500m Gold Coast Airport expansion he has overseen.
His sudden resignation caught the industry off-guard.
“It was a bolt out of the blue, nobody saw this coming,” a business sector insider told the Bulletin.
“Like the rest of us, he’s absolutely exhausted after two years of losing all our business, having to reduce the staff and then overseeing the terminal upgrade.
“He’s exhausted and needs a break but if he hasn’t got a job lined up, he should be able to get one quickly because he’s a great operator and a quality executive who has skillsets across finance and operators.”
Mr Mills said in a statement that it was time for a change.
“Being the CEO of Queensland Airports has been an absolute privilege and I have certainly experienced the highs and lows of aviation, from record passenger numbers to navigating the pandemic,” he said.
“Now that the aviation recovery is well under way, I am comfortable that this is the right time for me to step down.”
“The Gold Coast Airport terminal expansion will open this year, setting the scene for future growth.”
The $500m expansion will double the existing building’s floor space, four glass aerobridges, additional retail space and a large departure lounge.
Mr Mills said his successor would “have a strong platform to build on”.
“It will be some time before the aviation recovery is complete but our business has endured the worst and is well placed to thrive once again,” he said.
“Most importantly, I have absolute confidence in the dedicated and passionate airport team who will take the business forward.”
Queensland Airports chairman John O’Neill paid tribute to Mr Mills’ work.
“Under Chris’s leadership we saw strong growth in passenger numbers, including connections to new destinations,” he said.
“We then endured real hardship during the pandemic, and his leadership of the business and engagement with stakeholders through challenging times was exemplary.
“Chris also led the delivery of a number of important capital projects which have transformed Gold Coast Airport, including the airport hotel and the current terminal expansion project.
More Coverage
Originally published as Chris Mills: Gold Coast Airport CEO reveals all after departure
Confusion sparked in Olympic stadium debate
The Olympic stadium debate has taken a fresh twist, with the LNP’s shadow sports minister sparking confusion by refusing to rule out a new build despite his leader David Crisafulli doing so just days ago.
NAMED: Cop charged with assault on stranger
A Gold Coast police officer accused of assaulting a younger man he did not know at the time has been identified in court.