Senate Qatar inquiry: Qld airport operators push for more international flights

Rival Queensland airport operators have joined forces to plead their case for more international flights to the Senate inquiry when it sits in Brisbane.

The bosses of rival airports have lashed the current status quo for international flights into the state, saying Queensland has been missing out on tourists and millions of dollars for years.

Brisbane Airport Corporation and Queensland Airport Ltd – which operates Gold Coast, Townsville, Mount Isa and Longreach airports – have both lodged submissions with the Senate inquiry probing the federal government’s controversial decision to block extra Qatar Airways flights into Australia in a move widely seen as protecting Qantas.

They have joined forces to plead their case for more international flights to the Senate inquiry into air services as it prepares to sit in Brisbane, saying it will deliver lower airfares, up to 60,000 extra tourists a year and a $160m economic bonanza for the Gold Coast alone.

In a hard-hitting letter to Senate committee members before they sit in Brisbane on Tuesday, BAC boss Gert-Jan de Graaff put the boot into Qantas – saying the international airport had been under-served by Aussie airlines for years and had to rely on international carriers.

He also said the airport had also been failed by successive federal governments, culminating in the decision to reject Qatar’s application for expanded services.

Mr de Graaff said Qatar was a “lifeline carrier” for Queensland and Australia throughout Covid-19, helping repatriate stranded Aussies as Qantas and Virgin all but ceased operating.

He said while domestic passenger numbers had bounced back to 97 per cent of pre-Covid-19 levels, only 70 per cent of international seats had been recovered.

“However, services from BNE into Europe are disproportionately lower than what other Australian ports can offer to their communities,” he said in his inquiry submission.

Brisbane International Airport

“In the absence of Qantas and Virgin services, and with the exception of the single daily Qatar service, BNE has been almost entirely reliant on Emirates – a Qantas codeshare carrier – to connect Queensland with European markets over the Middle East.”

Mr de Graaff said while international air travel had recovered very strongly, seat supply constraints meant airfares remained “stubbornly high”, with flights to and from Brisbane an estimated 75 per cent higher than before Covid.

He said BAC had backed multiple failed bids by Qatar to expand services to boost tourism and trade, with estimates an extra daily service would deliver Queensland 300,760 extra airline seats and 41,000 to 60,000 more international tourists a year.

“Brisbane Airport Corporation implores all parties to support Air Service Agreement policy

settings that deliver real competition and better outcomes for the Australian people,’ he said.

“A more balanced, transparent and strategic approach to ASAs will not only benefit passengers, exporters and tourism businesses, but also ensure that this country remains well connected to the world’s key aviation hubs, both now, and into the future.”

In its inquiry submission, QAL commercial chief Adam Rowe said an extra daily service to Gold Coast Airport bringing in tourists from Europe and the UK could pump an extra $160m a year into the local economy.

“QAL is in constant discussion with airlines, working to grow existing and secure new services to its ports, recognising that increased supply drives greater competition and ultimately puts downward pressure on airfares,” he said.

Brisbane Airport is undergoing a $5b upgrade in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics while Gold Coast Airport recently opened a new $100m terminal.