Gold Coast drives Queensland Airports’ FY26 passenger growth

By Andrew Curran.

Queensland Airports Limited, owner and operator of four regional airports across the Australian state, grew passenger traffic by 6.2% to 8.4 million in the 12 months to June 30, 2026, largely driven by growth at Coolangatta Gold Coast Airport (OOL).

Aside from the busy south-east Queensland leisure gateway, Queensland Airports Limited also owns and operates Townsville (TSV), Longreach (LRE) and Mount Isa (ISA) airports.

The 12-month growth rate is more than double the Australian average for airport passenger growth. Queensland Airports CEO Amelia Evans said the result was driven by strong airline relationships and growing demand for travel to and from Queensland.

"We welcomed multiple additional services across our network," she said. "Gold Coast Airport in particular recorded significant growth, with domestic passenger numbers up 6%, trans-Tasman travel increasing by more than 20%, and other international markets growing by more than 53% on FY25."

The airport, which according to the latest Australian Government data is the country's sixth busiest in terms of passenger movements, is a hub for Jetstar's trans-Tasman flights and has non-stop connections to nine Australian airports.

Big passenger number growth at Coolangatta Gold Airport

Coolangatta Gold Coast Airport processed 6.5 million passengers in the 12 months to June 30, 2026, including 5.7 million domestic and 800,000 international passengers.

"We continue to see demand outstrip supply on key domestic routes such as Sydney and Melbourne," Evans said.

"On the Sydney route, airlines increased capacity by 5%, adding more seats to the market, yet passenger numbers grew even faster, up 6%, or an additional 144,000 travellers. We saw a similar trend on the Melbourne route, where capacity increased by 4% while passenger numbers grew by 5%."

Australian Government data covering May 2026 identifies Sydney (SYD) – Coolangatta Gold Coast as Australia's fourth busiest domestic route, with 1,339 flights that month carrying 205,000 passengers. Melbourne (MEL) – Coolangatta Gold Coast was the eighth busiest domestic route in May, with 862 flights carrying 145,700 passengers.

Brisbane route drives growth at Townsville Airport

Queensland Airports' other infrastructure jewel, Townsville Airport, squeaks into Australia's top 10 busiest domestic airports, processing around 1.7 million passengers in the year to June 30, 2026, up 2% on the previous financial year.

"In Townsville, leisure and business demand remained strong, with airlines boosting capacity on the Brisbane route by more than 120,000 additional seats, helping drive 6% growth in passengers travelling on the service," Evans said.

Both Virgin Australia and Qantas are deploying larger aircraft into Townsville, Queensland's fourth-largest city, which has significant military, industrial, education, tourism and service sectors.

Coastal airports overshadow smaller inland airports

Queensland Airports' other two airports, Mount Isa and Longreach, are much smaller. Mount Isa ranks among Australia's 50 busiest airports, handling 233,000 passengers in the 12 months to June 30, 2026, while Longreach processed 34,000 passengers.

A western Queensland mining city, Mount Isa has scheduled Qantas and Virgin Australia services to Brisbane, more than 1,800 kilometres away, as well as QantasLink flights to Townsville and Cairns, a similar distance away on Queensland’s northern coast. The airport is also something of a hub for Regional Express's western Queensland services, including its multi-sector milk runs.

Longreach is served by QantasLink DHC-8-Q400s from Brisbane, while Regional Express links the important service centre and railhead with Townsville.

Evans said last year's growth was the result of hard work by Queensland Airports, together with support from governments, tourism bodies and airline partners.

Photo: Mount Isa Airport.
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com