Jake Nelson

The airport saw 18,387,992 passengers in the 2026 financial year, an increase of 5.2 per cent over 2025, with international passengers up 8.1 per cent to 5.55 million, regional passengers up 6.0 per cent to 6.6 million, and interstate passengers up 1.9 per cent to 6.22 million.

Hosted at RMAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia, the deployment involved more than 75 personnel from No. 92 Wing and three Poseidon P-8A aircraft, as well as supporting elements from across the Air Force, including No. 19 Squadron at Butterworth.

Speaking to media at the airport on Monday, WSI chief executive Simon Hickey said there will be “a great mix of carriers moving forward” at launch, with robust ticket sales and “very positive feedback” across all its airline partners.

Brett Newman told a coronial inquest that helicopter pilot Ashley Jenkinson was distracted and under the influence of cocaine when his EC130 collided with another in mid-air on Main Beach minutes away from Surfers Paradise, killing four people including himself.

Australia’s largest 24-hour gateway saw annual international passengers surpass 12 million for the first time, across more than 57,000 flights, with December 2025 also marking Melbourne’s busiest month on record since its opening in 1970.

Operating as flight QF7301, Qantas Freight’s A321 freighter VH-XF5 touched down at WSI at around 2pm on Monday afternoon after a short hop from Sydney Kingsford Smith as part of a continuing testing program for the new airport.