Magic Round fever takes flight at Brisbane Airport

Brisbane Airport is gearing up for a footy-fuelled travel surge, with thousands of NRL fans migrating from across Australia for this weekend’s Magic Round.  

An uplift in domestic travel will see around 250,000 passengers travel through Brisbane from Thursday 14 May to Monday 18 May, with Friday forecast as the peak travel day. 

This includes a boost of 15,700 additional domestic passengers expected over the 5-day period.  

Brisbane Airport Head of Terminal Operations Stacey Pollard said the Domestic Terminal would be a hive of activity over the next few days.  

“Magic Round transforms Brisbane Airport into a sea of jerseys and excitement, and it’s great to see so many team colours from every club streaming off the aircraft. 

“We know when Brisbane Airport is busy, the city is thriving. We see fans from every corner of the country make the pilgrimage into Brisbane for Magic Round.  

“That includes strong interstate travel from Sydney and Melbourne, plenty of movement within Queensland across our regional network and of course a big contingent of Warriors fans coming over from New Zealand.

“Monday morning will also be a busy day at the Airport, with NRL fans heading home along with our usual FIFO and corporate travel starting their working week.  

“Don’t turn up five minutes before your flight and expect to make it. 

“We’re asking for all travellers, footy fans or not, to arrive the recommended 90 minutes before a domestic flight,” she said.  

The busiest day in history for the Domestic Terminal was 64,015 passengers on 6 October 2025, ahead of the NRL Grand Final.  

Brisbane Airport is Australia’s most connected domestic airport, flying to 62 destinations.     

Forecast passenger numbers 

 Top 10 cities for domestic traffic between 14 to 18 May: 

1. Sydney 

2. Melbourne 

3. Cairns 

4. Perth 

5. Townsville 

6. Adelaide 

7. Mackay 

8. Rockhampton 

9. Canberra 

10. Newcastle