Record passenger numbers through BNE in 2011
Brisbane Airport is finishing 2011 on a high with record passenger numbers through its terminals this year.
Including forecasts for December, passenger numbers are expected to reach approximately 20,400,000 in 2011, a 3.4 per cent increase compared to 2010.
International passenger numbers are set to increase in December by 3.2 per cent with domestic passenger numbers set to increase in December by 3.5 per cent on last year’s figures.
Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) CEO and Managing Director, Julieanne Alroe, said the airport had surpassed growth expectations during a particularly difficult year.
“This growth is a remarkable result given the number of challenges the industry has faced this year.
“It demonstrates the importance of air travel in this day and age and the resilience of the industry as a whole to withstand and bounce back from unexpected events,” Ms Alroe said.
More than 54,000 additional international seats into and out of Brisbane have and will be added during December and January, a 5 per cent increase on the same period last year.
Contributing to this growth is Air Australia’s new services between Brisbane and Honolulu, and Qantas increasing capacity on Dallas Fort Worth services from four to six flights per week from 12 January.
Singapore Airlines has also increased capacity on Brisbane flights during December and January.
Domestically, airlines have added over 330,000 additional seats to and from Brisbane over December and January, equating to a 10 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2010.
Tiger Airways and Air Australia have contributed to the increased capacity by respectively adding to and launching Melbourne services during December.
Virgin Australia will also increase capacity on Gladstone services from mid-January, with the airline adding a new seasonal service to Launceston over the 2011/12 summer.
Brisbane Airport is looking forward to rounding off a busy year which included the opening of the redeveloped Common User area at the Domestic Terminal (between Virgin Australia and Qantas), the addition of a number of new key domestic and international routes, and a record 20 million passengers travelling through the airport in FY11.
With 2012 just around the corner, there’s no rest in sight however as Brisbane Airport remains committed to improving the passenger experience and is on track to completing a number of key infrastructure projects.
The Domestic Terminal’s new state of the art multi-level car park is due to open early in the New Year, providing more than 5,300 undercover car spaces.Features of the new car park include smart ‘park-finding’ technology, making finding a space fast and easy, express entry and exit ramps, and a covered ‘skywalk’, taking passengers up and over the road system and away from traffic.
Upgrades to the Domestic Terminal road network, including a free public pick-up area will also provide significant additional capacity on the roads and in the car parking facilities, reducing congestion in the precinct and improving the passenger experience overall.
Planning and design has been underway as well this year as BAC completes its final preparatory stages before embarking on early works for the delivery of the New Parallel Runway.