Brisbane Airport Corporation Archives

Brisbane Airport’s New Runway Launch Date Announced

The long wait will soon be over. Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) has confirmed the official launch date of Brisbane Airport’s new runway, following the commencement of the final component of the construction programme.

Whilst the timings of the first arrival and departure have not been confirmed yet, BAC has proudly announced that the first historic flights will take off and land Brisbane’s new runway (BNR) on 12 July 2020, after eight of construction.

“Today is a culmination of eight years of physical construction, many years before that in planning, and foresight from nearly half a century ago for one of the most exciting projects in Brisbane’s history,” Gert-Jan de Graaff, BAC Chief Executive Officer, said.

“It’s surreal to think we are just months away from seeing the first aircraft land and depart on this infrastructure masterpiece.

Photo credit: 2020 Brisbane Airport Corporation / newsroom.bne.com.au

The new runway, Mr de Graaff said, is an enabler for growth across all facets, with an estimated 7,800 new jobs created by 2035, as well as an additional five billion in annual economic benefit to the region.

“We are seeing firsthand that the new runway is bringing more flights, destinations and choices for the travelling public, and this growth will only strengthen from 12 July 2020,” Mr de Graaff said.

“We encourage everyone residing in Brisbane to visit the dedicated Flight Path Tool, available on Brisbane Airport’s website, which allows you to search any address to find out specific information in relation to aircraft volume forecasts and the expected noise footprint for the current and future flight paths,” Mr de Graaff said.

Photo credit: 2020 Brisbane Airport Corporation / newsroom.bne.com.au

Coinciding with the announcement, the line marking of the new runway and accompanying taxiways commenced, which marks the final component of the construction programme and will be undertaken over the next four to six weeks.

Once the line marking has been completed, the detailed commissioning process for the new ground lighting, navigational aids and control tower systems will follow.

Brisbane’s new runway is expected to be delivered under budget at a cost of $1.1 billion or a saving of $200 million.

2019 Was a Record-Breaking Year for Brisbane Airport

In 2019, the total number of passengers at Brisbane Airport (BNE) crossed the 24 million mark for the first time, helping Brisbane Airport Corporation record the strongest international and domestic growth among Australia’s major airports.

BAC’s international passenger volume posted growth of 266,182 or 4.5 percent to more than 6.3 million for the calendar year. Domestic passengers, on the other hand, grew by 1.3 percent to more than 17.7 million.

“Brisbane as we know it is evolving and going from strength to strength thanks to a number of major infrastructure projects currently underway,” Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) Chief Executive Officer, Gert-Jan de Graaff said.

*Photo credit: Brisbane Airport / Facebook*

“With Brisbane Airport recording the strongest passenger growth amongst Australia’s major gateway airports, it is clear the rest of the world is taking notice of our great city and region and all it has to offer,” he said.

“The growth in visitor numbers is good news for our city, with the latest International and National Visitor Surveys conducted by Tourism Research Australia showing record expenditure occurring in Brisbane by both domestic and international visitors.

“It is through the collaboration and the collective strength of government, tourism and industry partners in promoting the unique and world-class offerings of Queensland that we continue to see visitor arrivals rise,” Mr de Graaff said.

BNE recorded its busiest day for international passengers on 21 December with 23,063 arrivals and departures within 24 hours. Whilst November posted the biggest passenger growth, an additional 41,991 international travellers, compared to November 2018.

Brisbane Airport Traffic performance – 2019 calendar year

	2018	2019	Year-on-year growth
International arrivals and departures	6,073,988	6,346,082	+4.5%
Domestic-on-carriage	8,423	2,511	-70.2%
Total international passengers	6,082,411	6,348,593	+4.4%
Domestic arrivals and departures	17,538,428	17,766,240	+1.3%
Total passengers	23,620,839	24,114,833	+2.1%

Meanwhile, BNE recorded its busiest day of the year for domestic arrivals and departures with a record-breaking 63,525 passengers. In terms of growth, April recorded the biggest domestic passenger growth with additional 65,738 travellers as compared to the same month in 2018.

In mid-2020, BNE is expected to double its capacity with the opening of its newest runway whilst the $40-million redevelopment of Domestic Terminal is also expected to be completed this year.

Brisbane Airport Corporation Issued a New Request for Proposals For Three New F&B Locations

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) is beefing up its F&B offering with the release of another Request for Proposals (RFP) from premium Food and Beverage operators.

The Request for Proposal is for three food and beverage locations within its domestic terminal, specifically on Level 2 (Departures) of the new Qantas Café Court.

The opportunities range from 18 square metres to 259 square metres. Brisbane Airport Corporation Issued a New Request for Proposals For Three New F&B Location

The sites will be complemented with a new retail mix including fashion, accessories, and other specialty retail occupancy, expected to be completed by 2020. Premium F&B operators are encouraged to submit one or all of the three concepts.

One of the concepts includes operating an Asian style ‘Hawker Market’ inspired curated food precinct with maximum seating and natural lighting from the rear of the precinct.

The other proposed concepts include three side-by-side, quick service offerings with Mexican/Greek/Turkish cuisine, gourmet burgers, and Asian cuisine; and, two high-volume offers such as sushi, burgers, Mexican, Turkish, Greek or Asian.

Stage one of the retail redevelopment to the Domestic Terminal was completed in June 2016. The first stage of the redevelopment involved the AU$15 million upgrade of the Virgin side. The completed works introduced 19 new retail and food and beverage concessions.

BAC will assume entire operational control across the terminal, creating a single terminal with common systems by January 2019. The second stage of the $40 million Retail Redevelopment programme includes the upgrading of the Domestic Terminal and retail offerings in the Northern (Qantas end) and central areas of the terminal.

Once completed, the redevelopment will deliver 51 new and refurbished stores with new retail and dining offers. This will take total number of commercial offerings in the terminal to over 70 which includes food and beverage, fashion, and travel essentials.

The RFP will close on Thursday 1 November 2018.