The true impact of Covid on airport
MORE than 420,000 fewer passengers travelled through the Gold Coast Airport in the weeks before Christmas than the year before, figures show.
Data released by Queensland Airports reveals the true impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on travellers coming in and out of the city in December.
Just 188,261 people travelled through the airport in December last year, a 69.2 per cent decline from the 610,497 travellers recorded in December 2019.
While the numbers were a dramatic improvement from the 99 per cent decline at the height of the previous border closures, Queensland Airports chief executive Chris Mills (pictured) said the pre-Christmas COVID outbreak in the North Sydney beaches had affected the final numbers.
“The initial recovery for December demonstrates that people are keen to travel and points to the appeal of the destinations we support,” he said.
“The strength of the Gold Coast-Sydney services was particularly significant.
“But it is a stark reminder of how tough things are for the aviation sector and related businesses.
“For Gold Coast Airport in particular, it will take some time to recover from the impacts of 2020.
“December passenger numbers were a staggering 70 per cent below the previous year – however, that was a relatively good result in an awful year.”
Overall traffic to Queensland Airports holdings, including Townsville, Mount Isa and Longreach, was down 61.1 per cent.
The Gold Coast was by far the worst-affected, while Longreach recorded a decline in passenger numbers of just 11.9 per cent.
Mr Mills said it was critical to view the figures in the overall context of the year.
“There were more passengers through Gold Coast Airport in December than were recorded for the entire period from April to November 2020, with no services at all on 45 days, highlighting just how difficult the year has been,” he said.
“Until there are clear and reasonable rules in place for management of COVID-19 hot spots, confidence in travel will continue to be impacted.”