Queensland border: Gold Coast Airport flights set to hit 50 per cent capacity by Christmas
New flights are being put on for the Gold Coast Airport as travellers flood back to the city. The airport is now set to achieve something its bosses were never expecting.
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GOLD Coast Airport is on track to hit 50 per cent of its normal Christmas traffic on the back of a dramatic increase in flights to meet demand.
Airline Virgin is the latest to ramp up its flights ahead of the festive season as the last travel restrictions between the states are wound back.
Queensland Airports chief executive Chris Mills said flight schedules were fluid as new services were added.
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“Things are changing daily as we are getting more information from all of the airlines and certainly Virgin is adding more capacity into December,” he said.
“On top of the positive numbers we are already seeing, it appears that during December we may get back to 50 per cent of the numbers we did during the same period in 2019.
“What we are seeing suggests that January will be even stronger than December.”
Virgin began operating three return services from Gold Coast Airport to Melbourne per week from Tuesday, jumping to two return services a day by Christmas.
Up to 46 flights are expected to arrive from Sydney through this week following the reopening of the NSW border.
Pre-pandemic the airport averaged 420 weekly flights.
It comes seven months after the initial COVID shutdown saw Gold Coast Airport’s patronage figures fall 99 per cent after virtually all flights in and out of the city were cancelled.
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THE booking floodgates have opened as interstate travellers rush to lock in Gold Coast getaways ahead of Queensland borders opening to NSW and Victoria on December 1.
Accor Pacific CEO Simon McGrath said Accor, which counts Peppers Broadbeach in its large portfolio, had been inundated with inquiries.
“Accor recorded one of its biggest days ever in booking inquiries since the beginning of COVID via its call centre following the Queensland border reopening announcement,” Mr McGrath said.
“It is great news that the Queensland border is now set to reopen for Victorians.
“Families and friends can reconnect once again and this news also brings hope for many thousands of workers in the travel industry and for business owners.
“State Government has demonstrated determination and focus in protecting Queensland’s borders, and we call on them to support the travel industry to aid its quick recovery and work towards resolving employment issues.
“We all want Queensland to have a bright future.”
Rhapsody Resort Surfers Paradise general manager Neil Munro said he had been swamped with accommodation bookings: “Since yesterday, phones have been running hot. We’ve just been absolutely bombarded.
“We typically get around 247 bookings per day, but have had 665 bookings in the past day and a half.”
“The Christmas period is definitely where we were showing demand.
“We’re completely full at this stage from December 26 through to January 3.”
Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills said interest in the Gold Coast had spiked dramatically in the 24 hours after the border announcement was made: “Things are already getting busier every day and Jetstar are telling me the two busiest routes in the entire country this December will be Sydney to Gold Coast and Melbourne to Gold Coast.
“Hotel operators we’ve spoken to have seen a massive spike in bookings and every day there is more interest as people make decisions about where they will be travelling.
“There is no doubt, given what we are seeing, that December will be the airport’s busiest month since before COVID.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the state would consider closing borders again in the event of outbreaks in other states: “I absolutely make no apologies.
“What everyone needs to understand is that it’s about community transmission. If we have to act, we will act, but we will always act on the advice of the chief health officer.”
FLIGHTS FRENZY: VIRGIN ADDS THOUSANDS OF SEATS TO COAST ROUTES
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA has rushed to add thousands of seats between the Gold Coast and Melbourne following the Queensland Government’s decision to re-open its border to Victoria.
The carrier will operate three return services from Gold Coast Airport to Melbourne per week from December 1, jumping to two return services a day by Christmas.
Virgin Australia General Manager Network and Revenue Management Russell Shaw said it was a critical step in reconnecting the country.
“We are already seeing a significant increase in traffic to our website and bookings between the two states, so we’ll be resuming direct services from Melbourne to popular leisure destinations such as the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns,” he said.
“We know many Australians are excited to reunite with their loved ones and we remain hopeful that borders will continue to safely re-open in time for Christmas.”
ACTIVITY GOES INTO OVERDRIVE AT AIRPORT
MONTHS of walking through an empty terminal and carpark are over for Gold Coast Airport boss Chris Mills, with activity tipped to go into overdrive ahead of next week’s border reopening.
Just a week ago, Mr Mills admitted feeling “numb” about the future after months of looking at a near-empty arrivals board at the terminal.
“We’re now in November and I’ve been seeing that screen like that since April. It’s the same as walking through the carpark to a handful of cars – you get a bit numb after a while,” he had said.
But it’s a very different story this week, with the number of flights set to more than double as the airport welcomes back greater Sydney from December 1.
“There is a real sense of relief with this news because we have been waiting to hear this since March 25,” he said.
“It’s not just the airport staff this affects, it’s the people who make coffee at the terminals, the taxi drivers who pick people up and the new hotel, so everyone is looking forward to this.
“In normal times a week’s notice would not be enough time to get ready but these days we are far more agile and we have been ready for quite a while.”
The airport will this week welcome 34 flights in total, before the Greater Sydney reopening next week brings an expected further 46 planes from Sydney alone.
Mr Mills said the airport would grow increasingly busy in coming weeks.
“It will just get bigger and bigger and move very quickly and potentially in the last week of December we could have 200 flights coming on the Sydney route alone,” he said.
“From Melbourne we could have 100 flights a week too and while these numbers are short of where we were pre-COVID, it signifies the demand which has been building for this opportunity.
“It has been hard to work through an empty carpark and terminal but our staff have been magnificent and it will be great to know the team will be able to see a busy airport again.”
Pre-pandemic the airport averaged 420 weekly flights.
Virgin Australia Group reacted within hours, unveiling daily Sydney-Gold Coast services from December 1 and three services daily between the airports by Christmas.
Virgin Australia general manager for network and revenue management Russell Shaw said the Queensland Government’s decision to reopen the border with Greater Sydney would help the airline and tourism industry get back on its feet and put more people back to work.
“We recognise our role as one of Queensland’s largest employers and our ability to contribute to both the Queensland and New South Wales tourism economies,” Mr Shaw said.
“Additional services will be timed to provide choice and convenience for customers, while at the same time give travellers the opportunity to do business and reconnect with loved ones, families and friends ahead of the well-earned Christmas break.”
The news comes seven months after the initial COVID shutdown saw Gold Coast Airport’s patronage figures fall 99 per cent after virtually all flights in and out of the city were cancelled.
Originally published as Queensland border: Gold Coast Airport flights set to hit 50 per cent capacity by Christmas
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