Airport passenger numbers soar for 41 months straight

The Sunshine Coast Airport has notched up its 41st straight month of passenger growth.

BUSY: Sunshine Coast Airport CEO Peter Pallot is pictured with a Jetstar plane in the background. Picture: Warren Lynam

THE Sunshine Coast Airport has notched up its 41st straight month of passenger growth.

The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics' September report showed the Sunshine Coast Airport had recorded a 7.2 per cent increase in passenger movements compared to September 2017.

It was the top performing airport in Australia in 2018, with Hobart second with an increase of 4.9 per cent.

For the year to September 2018, the airport notched up 12.3 per cent growth in passenger movements, including 12.4 per cent increase in domestic travellers and 10 per cent growth in international travel.

Sunshine Coast Airport CEO Peter Pallot said the results marked 41 consecutive months of growth, dating back to June 2015.

This year was the first year the airport had been operated as a private entity.

Mr Pallot said flights from Auckland had been at record levels and the prospects for international flights at the end of 2020 looked "very promising".

Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Simon Latchford previously identified seven destinations he envisaged the new airport linking with.

They were Auckland, Christchurch, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Hawaii.

A draft Master Plan was being prepared for the airport to guide the next 20 years.

The preliminary Draft Master Plan was due to be finalised by early-2019, followed by a 50-day public consultation period.