Chris Mills says Gold Coast airport hits milestone with four glass aerobridges being installed.

Low passenger numbers have kept much of the Gold Coast Airport’s $500m terminal expansion under wraps, but that’s about to change as it reaches a major milestone.

LOW passenger numbers have kept much of the Gold Coast Airport’s $500m terminal expansion under wraps, but that’s about to change as it reaches a major milestone.

Queensland Airports Limited CEO Chris Mills said four long-awaited glass aerobridges, the hero of the three-level development, were being installed this week.

“The aerobridges are a central part of the development and when people see them they will get a good idea of how the passenger experience is going to change from next year with the terminal expansion,” he said.

The aerobridges arrived last week, travelling 13,500km across land and sea.

Manufactured in Shenzhen, China, most of the aerobridges were transported to Shanghai and transferred to Tianjin, to avoid a typhoon, before travelling by sea to Port Kembla in NSW, on to Melbourne, down to Newcastle and up to the Port of Brisbane.

Finally, they were driven down the M1 into northern NSW and eventually Gold Coast Airport.

Each structure, weighing 31 tonnes and extending to 40 metres when in place, requires a dual 150-tonne crane lift installation

“The glass aerobridges, which will be used for both international and domestic flights, will deliver views of the spectacular Gold Coast and northern NSW region for arriving and departing passengers,” Mr Mills said.

He said the expansion would double the terminal’s footprint and include additional retail space, and new boarding facilities, a large departure lounge, baggage handling and border control facilities.