500,000 passenger jump at GC Airport

The Gold Coast’s backbone industry tourism has been revitalised by more than half a million more airport passengers in 2023 than the previous year.

Queensland Airports Limited (QAL), owner and operator of Gold Coast Airport (GCA) has recorded strong passenger growth, with 8.1 million customers travelling through its four airports for 2023. It’s up 10 per cent from 2022.

The majority came to the Glitter Strip, where more than 6.2 million passengers passed through Gold Coast Airport in the past 12 months - it is a staggering 500,000 more people than in 2022.

QAL CEO Amelia Evans said the new data showed demand for travel continued to rise domestically and internationally.

“Across QAL’s four airports we’ve seen steady growth throughout the year, with figures showing flights were fuller than pre-pandemic, particularly in and out of Gold Coast Airport, where flights were on average 86 per cent full,” Ms Evans said.

“Despite impacts from the storms in the south-east and Cyclone Jasper in North Queensland, both Gold Coast Airport and Townsville Airport recorded some very busy travel days either side of Christmas.”

The busiest at the Gold Coast terminal was on December 28, with 145 flights and almost 23,000 travellers in a single day.

Holiday numbers were hit by the Christmas night cyclonic storm that lashed the Gold Coast and New Year’s Day flooding. But despite the gloomy end to the year, Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn said he was anticipating a strong rebound for the tourism mecca.

Flights were busier than prepandemic levels despite the stormy end to the year, he said.

“It’s welcomed news to see flights are fuller than pre-pandemic levels and continuing to track exceptionally strong into Gold Coast Airport.

“2024 is the year we move beyond recovery and there’s a lot on the horizon to be excited for.”

Mr Warn said the Gold Coast Summer FUNds initiative contributed to the overall recovery of the storm-stricken region.

“The 50,000 $50 vouchers were snapped up by South East Queenslanders within six days, in turn delivering an immediate $7.2 million shot-in-the-arm.”