Brisbane Airport’s new $1 billion terminal will be built inside the two runways

Brisbane Airport will build a third terminal under plans that will see it pour $3 billion into the state’s biggest air gateway.

Brisbane Airport will build a third terminal by 2032 under plans that will see it pour $3 billion into the state’s biggest air gateway.

The $1 billion third terminal will be located inside the airport’s two runways, and would offer more efficient transit for passengers.

Brisbane Airport Corporation is also set to spend another $2 billion on major projects over the next five years.

The exclusive first image, released as part of The Courier-Mail’s Build Queensland campaign, shows the new terminal being developed in a U-shape between the two runways.

An artist’s rendering of what Brisbane Airport’s new terminal will look like. Courtesy: Brisbane Airport Corporation

The proposed U-shape terminal will connect the airport’s two runways.

The announcement comes as domestic travel continues to bounce back, with routes including Brisbane to Cairns, Hamilton Island and Mount Isa all at 100 per cent of pre-Covid levels.

Come the school holidays, the Cairns route is expected to have more passengers than pre-pandemic levels, airport projections show.

Moranbah had 24 services before Covid took hold, and now averages 29 a week.

“Brisbane Airport has been blessed with two great pieces of terminal architecture in the current Domestic and International terminals,” BAC boss Gert-Jan de Graaff said.

“We will be looking to capture that uniquely tropical Queensland style and timeless modernity for the new terminal.

“We will work closely with the Brisbane Airport Development and Design Integrity Panel and with the community to ensure we deliver a world-class terminal that is a beautiful uniquely Queensland destination in itself.”

Virgin pilot Captain Gavin Brooks before he head offs on a regional Queensland flight this week. Picture: Brad Fleet

BAC currently has 463 weekly intrastate services to 21 locations, and 90 per cent of pre-Covid internal Queensland seat numbers are back, with intrastate passengers for May averaging 12,600 a day and climbing from 11,600 in April.

Mr de Graaff said Brisbane Airport had worked hard to expand flight capacity but more work needed to be done to connect it to the rest of the southeast.

He said with jobs on airport grounds projected to grow to 50,000 by the early 2040s, it needed better public transport for both workers and passengers.

AIRPORT’S FUTURE

Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff outlines the organisation’s future plans...

What does the next decade or so look like at Brisbane Airport?

Having finished our new runway in 2020, which made sure we can meet your air capacity demands for the next 50 years, we’re turning our attention to making it easier to get to the airport, and a better terminal experience when you get here.

These will be important investments in the future of our region and our people. Because in a state as big as Queensland, aviation is an essential service, particularly for regional Queenslanders who need to get to hospitals, schools and to work.

And in a country this remote we need air access to do business with the world, and to broaden our horizons through travel.

Just before Covid hit you could fly to 51 domestic and 32 international destinations from BNE. We’ll be back to those numbers again within the next couple of years. We’ll also see the jobs return, taking us from 24,000 workers on-site in 2019 to nearly 50,000 by the early 2040s.

To make it possible for this many people to get to and from work, and to ensure you get to your gate on time, we need to improve public transport access and integrate the airport into the southeast corner transport network.

Right now our road access is fantastic, but in the future we’re going to need mass-transit options around the airport as well, and top-level rail connections to the city and Gold and Sunshine coasts and beyond.

This sort of long-term planning and investment is vital for our state’s future.

When our local mayors started working on the Olympic bid a few years ago they knew that the Games could be a catalyst to get all levels of government, and the private sector, focused on what infrastructure Queenslanders would need over the coming decades. And having a deadline to meet always helps.

At Brisbane Airport we’ll have our eyes on the 2032 deadline as well and will work with all levels of government on the transport opportunities.

Our obligation, as Queensland’s main international airport, is to build the growth capacity you need to meet your needs. That’s why we’re here. And that’s why we’ll continue to invest in the airport. Brisbane Airport Corporation’s mission is to Connect The World and Create The Future. It’s our commitment to you.