14
June
2016
|
08:00
Australia/Brisbane

Brisbane Airport welcomes funds to attract more flights

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) welcomes the investment of an additional $33.5 million to help grow Asian tourism and to secure more international air routes to Queensland.

The announcement of the additional funding is part of the Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland: Connecting with Asia package.

The international tourism and visitor industry in Queensland is largely driven by air travel said Julieanne Alroe, BAC CEO and Managing Director.

“Direct services from North Asia, particularly from China, have seen strong growth over the last 12 months,” Ms Alroe said.

“These additional funds will help Queensland secure further capacity from key Asian markets.

“Each year Brisbane Airport Corporation invests approximately $8 million in supporting international air services to Queensland that in turn deliver significant economic benefit to the State.

“To ensure Queensland remains attractive as a destination in a competitive environment, it is vitally important that there is collaboration between government and industry.

“Brisbane Airport is the premier gateway to Queensland, and every new international flight benefits all of Queensland.

“We know that international travellers through Brisbane Airport travel on to other Queensland regions by road or via our extensive domestic flight network spanning 42 destinations across Australia.

“Our focus is on attracting new direct services as when the new parallel runway opens in 2020, Brisbane Airport will have the most runway capacity of any airport in Australia and this gives Queensland a significant competitive advantage over other States.”