Rugby Roars as Winter Travel Soars
Brisbane Airport is preparing for a record-breaking winter travel season, with a forecast 2.78 million passengers expected to pass through its Domestic and International terminals during the June/July school holiday period*.
The winter travel surge is being boosted by the arrival of thousands of British and Irish Lions supporters, as the iconic rugby tour brings a wave of visitors to Queensland.
Compared to the same period last year, Brisbane Airport is forecasting:
+1.4% passenger growth in the Domestic Terminal
+18.4% growth in the International Terminal
The busiest day of the season is expected to be Friday, 18 July, with a projected 82,400 passengers across both terminals, a figure that may equal or surpass the airport’s record for daily passenger numbers.
“We know when Brisbane Airport is busy, Queensland is thriving with travellers spreading down to the Gold Coast, north to the Great Barrier Reef and west to the delights of the Queensland outback in winter,” according to Brisbane Airport spokesperson, Peter Doherty.
“On top of travellers chasing the sun, we’re also expecting thousands of rugby fans following the British and Irish Lions tour, and Brisbane won't be able to miss them, with Suncorp Stadium hosting two games.”
Major structural work in both the Domestic Terminal and International Terminal as part of the Future BNE transformation continues, with temporary changes for passengers to their journey through the terminal.
“Passengers should continue to arrive the normal 90 minutes before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international service, and we have plenty of signage to help you through the terminal."
"The good news is that by Christmas we will be seeing the major works within the Domestic Terminal finishing giving travellers a new entry to the terminal and brand-new mezzanine level for security screening with standard 3 technology, allowing people to keep their laptops in their bags.”
“In the International Terminal we’re expecting an 18% increase on passenger numbers on last year, with many airlines boosting services for the school holidays.”
Data sourced from the Incoming Passenger Card for the most recent 12 months to April 25, reveal the overseas inbound markets with the biggest annual growth are Japan, China and New Zealand.
With lots of people on the move, the highly popular Brisbane Airport therapy puppies will be in the terminal providing a calm distraction at various times during the school holiday period.
For interview contact Brisbane Airport’s 24/7 media hotline: 0466 322 485
*To enable fair comparison against historic data, the school holiday period has been defined as the 39-day span from Friday 13 June to Monday 21 July 2025, aligning with historical and current school holiday schedules across QLD, NSW, VIC, and NZ.