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Gold Coast Airport has cut the ribbon on a $17 million expansion to its domestic departure lounge.
The project, which opened at the end of June, involved refurbishing the former international area after international services were shifted to the southern end of the terminal as part of a $260 million expansion in 2022.
More than 300 seats have been added, as well as improved wayfinding, new flooring, 70 extra flight information boards, and 19 new food and retail outlets with another six to open over coming weeks. Remaining upgrades are expected to be completed by the end of October.
Airport owner Queensland Airports Limited’s chief operating officer, Marion Charlton, said the upgrades are part of the largest transformation in Gold Coast Airport’s history, and bring domestic in line with the new international terminal.
“The area we’ve just opened used to be international screening and departures – by shifting those services to the southern end of the terminal we’ve been able to expand the domestic departure lounge, adding new retailers and food options and more than 300 additional seats,” she said.
“It’s great we’ve been able to open this new area just in time for one of our peak periods, during the Queensland school holidays – when we’re expecting more than 300,000 passengers to travel through Gold Coast Airport.
“We’ve also been able to make accessibility enhancements, including the addition of a new Changing Places facility airside to support travellers with a disability, and their families and carers.”
Gold Coast Airport is the sixth-busiest in Australia and the largest of four airports owned by QAL, which also owns Longreach, Mount Isa and Townsville Airports.
The airport, which currently sees more than 6.2 million passengers a year, expects that number to increase by around 13 million by 2044.
Its draft Master Plan released in March, which is available online, envisions a hub for communities in the Gold Coast and northern NSW, with a particular focus on the next eight years, according to QAL CEO Amelia Evans.
“We want to be more than an airport, we’re committed to creating a mixed-use precinct that would further benefit the local community, with the addition of a retail village, health and wellness hub and a conference and tech centre,” Evans said earlier this year.
“The upgrades proposed under this Master Plan are about embracing innovation and new technologies that will revolutionise air travel and enhance the customer experience.
“We’ve placed a strong focus on accessibility, ensuring the airport precinct is seamlessly connected with the rest of the city with the delivery of a public front-of-terminal plaza servicing both light and heavy rail.”
