The airport expects domestic figures to reach similar levels to last year – around 84 per cent of pre-COVID levels – and international passengers to climb 53 per cent over the 2022 winter holidays, driven in no small part by the New Zealand market.

“Not since 2019 have there been so many flight options for New Zealanders to get to Brisbane. Most carriers have boosted capacity as Kiwis escape the winter blues and fly to Queensland,” said Stephen Beckett, Head of Public Affairs at Brisbane Airport Corporation.

The busiest days for domestic travel are expected to be Mondays and Fridays, given the combination of leisure travellers with the usual business and FIFO markets, as numbers are tipped to hover around 52-53,000 on the six busiest days. Sydney is set to be the biggest domestic market, followed by Melbourne, Cairns and Perth.

For international, the airport expects to see more than 14,000 passengers on each of three days – Saturday 1 July, Saturday 8 July, and Sunday 9 July. New Zealand is anticipated to be the biggest inbound and outbound market.

“We know when Brisbane Airport is busy, Queensland is busy, and that is great news for jobs across the Sunshine State,” said Beckett.

“From Brisbane, passengers can connect to 52 domestic destinations, with 30 of them in Queensland.”

The airport has rostered on extra staff to manage the expected holiday rush.

Brisbane’s holiday forecast comes several days after Melbourne Airport predicted more than 1.1 million people to pass through its domestic terminals over the 17 days from Friday 23 June, as well as more than 500,000 international travellers.

Melbourne Airport chief of aviation Jim Parashos called the forecast an encouraging sign for the aviation industry and says the airport will be employing extra staff to make sure journeys go smoothly.

“Melbourne Airport is approaching 100 per cent of pre-COVID capacity and with that comes busy periods and holiday rushes, which is all part of life and it’s great to have it back,” he said.

“Numbers these holidays are up 12.8 per cent on the same time last year, which is being driven largely by demand for international travel.”