QAL sees new passenger record

A Tiger A320 departs the Gold Coast. (Paul Sadler)

Queensland Airports Limited says that it achieved a new record for passenger movements across its three airports during the 2009/2010 financial year, with nearly seven million passengers passing through its terminals.

In what was a difficult year, the biggest growth in passenger numbers was 12 per cent to 5.17 million at the Gold Coast, which benefited from increased international and domestic services. Townsville recorded a 3.8 per cent increase in passengers to 1.59 million for the year, while Mount Isa processed 184,860 passengers, representing a 1.9 per cent increase on the previous year.

“It is pleasing to record growth in passenger movements across the group during what has been the most challenging year since 2001,” said QAL managing director Dennis Chant.

“Our three airports have received strong support from our airline partners, with all three experiencing significant increases in airline seat capacity and new route development,” he added.