Future Gold Coast: Airport numbers to double by 2037

The Gold Coast has been one of the country’s fastest-growing cities for the past few decades, and passenger numbers at Gold Coast Airport have shot up at a similar rate, writes Queensland Airport Limited CEO Chris Mills.

THE Gold Coast has been one of the country’s fastest-growing cities for the past few decades, and passenger numbers at Gold Coast Airport have shot up at a similar rate.

Now welcoming about 6.5 million people annually, we are preparing for those numbers to more than double by 2037.

Several projects are underway in the airport precinct to keep pace with these increases, including the $200 million southern terminal expansion.

An artist's impression of the retail area inside of the southern terminal.

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Improved connectivity to the airport will be another necessary step to accommodate the growth in passengers.

The optimal operation of this important gateway can’t be guaranteed without a range of transport infrastructure improvements.

Ongoing upgrades to the M1 are occurring and will need to continue.

But public transport is also vital for successful city and airport planning.

An artist's impression of the runway side of the southern terminal.

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Light rail stages 3 and 4 are the obvious next steps for transport infrastructure here.

The trams are particularly important for our visitor economy, given the location of most of the accommodation dotted along the coast.

We don’t have to look far to see why the M1 upgrades and fast-tracking light rail to the airport are the top transport priorities for the city.

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Work underway on the southern terminal expansion at Gold Coast Airport on Monday, July 15, 2019. Picture: Luke Mortimer

When the Airtrain linked Brisbane Airport to the capital’s CBD and beyond in May 2001, passenger numbers for that airport were about 12.4 million annually.

Today, there are more than 23 million people flying in and out of that airport each year — a number that would see the city grind to a halt without good road and public transport linkages.

Based on expected growth numbers for the city and the airport, we need to move fast to avoid major transport challenges arriving on the Gold Coast’s doorstep in the years to come.

Chris Mills is CEO of Queensland Airports Limited