The Queensland Government is dropping quarantine requirements and passenger limits for inbound international arrivals on Saturday, January 22. Queensland’s busiest international airport, Brisbane, is cheering the news and keen to see absent airlines return and current airlines ramp up services.
“This is an incredibly exciting day for everyone at Brisbane Airport, our airlines, and everyone associated with international aviation and visitation,” said Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff. “It takes us one step closer to reuniting with the world.”
Good news for Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is usually Australia’s third busiest airport and, in a good year, hums with aircraft and passengers. In 2019, 24,114,833 passengers moved through the airport, including over 6.3 million international passengers. Last year, the airport handled 8,155,189 passengers. But only 3.7% of those passengers moved through Brisbane Airport’s international terminal.
In addition to Australian Federal Government rules circumscribing travel in and out of the country, the Queensland State Government imposed its own travel and quarantine rules that barred all but the chosen few from entering the state.
However, a strong intrastate airline market, primarily based on flights up and down the 1,325 mile (2,133 kilometer) Queensland coast, kept some local passenger and aircraft traffic moving through Brisbane Airport last year.
In December 2021, the Queensland Government lifted most of its restrictions on interstate travelers flying into the state. In that month, passenger numbers at Brisbane Airport jumped 49.5% on November’s numbers.
A gradual increase in international traffic anticipated at Brisbane Airport
The relaxation of quarantine requirements and passenger limits for international travelers in and out of Brisbane will boost numbers further. However, it won’t be open slather at Brisbane Airport passport control. According to the current Australian Government rules, only fully vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents, and eligible visa holders can travel to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption.
According to Brisbane Airport, the expected uptick in international aircraft and passenger traffic will be a slow burn. Airlines are looking for some constancy regarding the rules and gauging actual demand for travel to Brisbane.
“Rebuilding international travel into and out of Brisbane Airport will take many months, as we will need destinations for Australians and inbound market nations to reopen. We are not expecting to return to 2019 route and passenger levels until 2024,” said the Brisbane Airport CEO.
No guarantee absent airlines will return
Last week, Hawaiian Airlines said it was unlikely to restart its flights to Brisbane anytime soon. Many other airlines, including Qantas, have hit the pause button on international flights to Brisbane. However, some airlines have stuck with Brisbane throughout the travel downturn. Gert-Jan de Graaff took the time on Wednesday to thank them.
Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qatar, Air New Zealand, Air Niugini, and China Airlines have all stayed the course with Brisbane. Other airlines, like Fiji Airways and EVA Air, have recently returned. Singapore Airlines is now flying 14 Airbus A350-900 services a week into Brisbane on the back of a quarantine-free travel corridor between Singapore and Australia. Qantas is likely to restart some international services into Brisbane soon.
Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting Director Matthew Findlay says Brisbane Airport will be keen to ensure the city is well served by airlines but says the airport will need to work hard to retain their airlines and build back traffic to 2019 levels.
“That’s the focus for a lot of airports,” he says. “While there is the prospect of some airlines returning, in some cases, they won’t come back.”
John Grant, a partner at Midas Aviation, agrees, saying, “No airport anywhere in the world can be complacent – just because you had an airline in 2019 doesn’t mean you are going to get it back in 2022.”
The Queensland Government’s restrictions for international travelers end at 01.00 local time on Saturday, January 22.
Source: https://simpleflying.com/queensland-border-opening-international-flights/
