The deployment last month was a part of Australia’s Operation Solania, an ongoing contribution to maritime and aerial monitoring across the Pacific, aimed at strengthening regional security and protecting vital fisheries resources.

The airport saw 17.5 million passengers in the 2024–25 financial year, an 8.5 per cent increase from 16.1 million in 2023–24. More than half of this growth came from international passengers, with total revenue also increasing 14.4 per cent to $751.8 million.

One thousand new seats will be added across the airport’s international and domestic terminals, alongside runway lighting upgrades, new security equipment, CCTV, new control tower water connections, and an extra 500 parking spaces.

The Hercules fleet is expected to remain in service into the 2030s, before being succeeded by a new generation of C-130 aircraft under Project AIR 7404.