Sunshine Coast Airport expansion drives tourism and logistics growth

Sunshine Coast Airport's $375 million expansion — incorporating a new international terminal, extended runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, and significantly expanded passenger processing capacity — is transforming the airport from a domestic regional terminal to a genuine international gateway capable of handling direct services from New Zealand, Asia, and potentially beyond, fundamentally improving the Sunshine Coast's connectivity and its attractiveness as a destination for high-value international tourists.

The extended runway has already enabled Air New Zealand's direct Sunshine Coast to Auckland service, the first regular international route from the airport, and discussions are progressing with Asian airlines whose network planners have expressed interest in the Sunshine Coast as the leisure tourism market continues to grow. An airline that previously would only have considered Brisbane for Queensland routes is increasingly evaluating Sunshine Coast as a secondary Queensland gateway.

The airport's growth has been consequential for the tourism economy, reducing the friction of accessing the Sunshine Coast from key source markets that had previously required a connection through Brisbane or the drive from Brisbane Airport. Travel time from key east coast Australian cities to the Sunshine Coast by air has been reduced by an average of 90 minutes for passengers who previously needed a ground transfer after a Brisbane landing.

Sunshine Coast Airport Corporation chief executive Andrew Brodie said the full economic impact of the expansion would accumulate over the next decade as airlines established services, tourism operators responded to the improved connectivity, and the airport precinct's commercial development — including hotel, retail, and cargo facilities currently under planning — added further economic activity to the airport catchment.

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