Gold Coast Airport upgrade: Work to begin on $500m terminal expansion

Piling is underway and three new cranes will be on site next month as visible signs of Gold Coast Airport’s new expanded three-level terminal with aerobridges take hold.

PILING is underway and three new cranes will be on site next month as visible signs of Gold Coast Airport’s new expanded three-level terminal with aerobridges take hold.

The addition, doubling the terminal size, is a major plank of a $500 million airport development to cater for its 6.6 million passengers a year doubling by 2037.

Artist impressions of Gold Coast Airport upgrade.

The terminal expansion work adds to an ongoing new $50 million hotel build. An interior refurbishment of the existing terminal making it “more modern and efficient” is planned during the next two years.

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The southern expansion of the terminal opens its first stage to the public in mid-2021. The opening of the airport’s first hotel, a Rydges with rooftop bar, is due early next year.

Aerobridges will service planes at the terminal.

Airport bosses are also hatching plans to deliver a new airport entry from NSW, to ease traffic congestion.

Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills said the “unprecedented” development activity was driven by the need to accommodate existing and future capacity — airport bosses have already admitted it is operating above capacity at peak times.

“Gold Coast Airport is the sixth busiest airport in Australia and one of the fastest growing in the past 10 years,” he said.

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Gold Coast Airport Chief Operating Officer Marion Charlton is flanked by Carl Bruhn (right) and Lendlease Senior Site Manager Dave Clark in front of the piling rig used to start work on the airport’s new aerobridges as part of the Southern Terminal Expansion project.

“By 2037 passenger numbers are expected to more than double and international visitors are likely to triple.

“Developments like the southern terminal expansion, with four aerobridges and a terminal floor area that is double the existing size, are required now.

By 2037, the airport will pump $818 million annually into the region and support 20,000 jobs.

Property and infrastructure group Lendlease is the developer. The terminal work requires 1500 jobs overall.