Brisbane Airport


Brisbane Airport is the primary international airport serving Brisbane and South East Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, in total amounting in more than 22.7 million passengers who travelled through the airport in 2016. In 2016, an OAG report named Brisbane airport as the fifth-best performing large-sized airport in the world for on-time performance with 86.71% of arrivals and departures occurring within 15 minutes of their scheduled times, slipping from 88.31% the year before.
Brisbane Airport is a major hub for both Virgin Australia and Qantas, and a secondary hub for Qantas' low cost subsidiary Jetstar. Brisbane has the third highest number of domestic connections in Australia following Sydney and Melbourne. It is also home to Qantas' A330 and B737 heavy maintenance facilities. Virgin Australia has a smaller maintenance facility at the Airport, where line-maintenance on the Airline's 737 fleet is performed. Other airlines, namely QantasLink, and Alliance Airlines also conduct maintenance at their respective facilities at the Airport. The airport has international and domestic passenger terminals, a cargo terminal, a general aviation terminal and apron as well as two runways. JETGO Australia also operated from Brisbane Airport until its demise in 2018.
On March 30, 2020, runway 14/32 was decommissioned early as part of Brisbane's new runway 'Operational Readiness & Testing' phase so that the newly decommissioned cross runway could be used for aircraft parking.

History

Eagle Farm Airport

Brisbane's first airport was Eagle Farm Airport that was built in 1925 on former agricultural land in the suburb of Eagle Farm located north-east of Brisbane or south-west of Brisbane Airport's Domestic Terminal. Although Qantas started operations there in 1926, most of the flights in Brisbane operated at the Archerfield Airport, which contained a superior landing surface. While in operation, Charles Kingsford Smith landed at Eagle Farm on 9 June 1928, after completing the first trans-pacific flight in his Fokker F.VII, the Southern Cross. There is now a museum containing the original aircraft, along with a memorial located within the Brisbane Airport precinct.
During the Second World War, Brisbane was the headquarters of the Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the South West Pacific Area, General Douglas MacArthur. The United States armed forces upgraded the airfield to cater for military flights, bringing it to such a standard that it became the main civilian airport for the city.
By the 1960s it was clear that the facilities at Eagle Farm Airport were inadequate for a city of Brisbane's size and anticipated growth. Many long-haul international services to Asia were required to make an en route stop, disadvantaging the city to lure prospective carriers and business opportunities.
Some of the infrastructure at Eagle Farm airport was incorporated into today's Brisbane airport. For example, the north-east end of the main runway survives as taxiway Papa of the present airport, while the Eagle Farm international terminal is now the Brisbane Airport cargo terminal.

1988 Opening

The Federal Government announced the construction of Brisbane Airport to be built immediately north east of Eagle Farm Airport. The new airport was built by Leighton Contractors and opened in 1988 with a new domestic terminal and two runways. The new airport was built on the former Brisbane residential suburb of Cribb Island that was demolished to make way for the airport. Large amounts of sand were pumped from nearby Moreton Bay to raise the swamp land above the tidal range.
The 1988 facilities included: a domestic terminal; state-of-the-art maintenance facilities; freight apron at the existing passenger terminal; a 3500-metre and 1700 metre runways) with parallel taxiway systems ; access roads; parking facilities and a tall Air traffic control tower.
In 1995 the current international terminal opened, and it has been expanded since that time.

Privatisation

In 1997, as part of the privatisation of numerous Australian airports, the airport was acquired for $1.4 billion from the Federal Airports Corporation by Brisbane Airport Corporation under a 50-year lease. Since that time, BAC has assumed ultimate responsibility for the operations of Brisbane Airport including all airport infrastructure investment with no government funding. BAC's shareholders are major Australian and international organisations and significant institutional investors, including Queensland Investment Corporation, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Colonial First State and IFM Investors. Approximately 80 per cent of BAC shareholders are Australians with their savings invested in superannuation and other funds. Brisbane Airport is categorised as a Leased Federal Airport.
In 2020, construction of a new runway was completed. It scheduled its very first flight which was operated by Virgin Australia, flight VA781 to Cairns on 12th July 2020.

Terminals

Brisbane Airport has two passenger terminals.

International terminal

The international terminal was built in 1995 and has 14 bays with aerobridges, four of these are capable of handling A380s. There are also four layover bays. The terminal has four levels: level 1 houses most airline offices and baggage handlers, level 2 handles arrivals, level 3 houses the departure lounge and other offices, and level 4 houses departure check-in.
The airport contains an Emirates first class lounge, the first outside Dubai that has direct access to the A380 aerobridges, and also has Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Plaza Premium lounges.
There is also a five-storey long term carpark and a smaller short term carpark in close proximity to the terminal.
The international terminal redevelopment began in February 2014. The A$45 million redevelopment is designed by Brisbane architectural practices Richards and Spence and Arkhefield. Queensland artists, Sebastian Moody and Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, were commissioned for the artworks.
The international terminal at Brisbane Airport was the first airport in the world to roll out a Bitcoin and other crypto-currency related that majority of the stores within the terminal have taken part in.

Domestic terminal

Brisbane Airport's domestic terminal is a two-storey curved building with three complete satellite arms extending beyond the building providing additional passenger lounge and gate facilities for airlines.
The domestic terminal has three distinct areas serving Qantas and QantasLink at the northern end of the building and Virgin Australia at the southern end of the building with other carriers such as Jetstar, Tiger Airways and JetGo are located in the central area of the terminal.
The Qantas concourse has 9 bays served by aerobridges including one served by a dual bridge. It has three lounges – the Qantas Club, Business Class and Chairman's Lounge. Virgin Australia occupies what was the former Ansett Australia end of the terminal. Its concourse has 11 parking bays, nine of which are served by aerobridges including two served by a dual bridge. It has one lounge – the Virgin Australia Lounge which is located in the former Golden Wing Club opposite Gate 41.
Remote bays are located to the north and south of the building, and in the central area.
On 27 February 2014, Qantas announced it had disposed of its long-term lease at the domestic terminal which was due to expire on 30 December 2018. Under the new arrangements, Qantas would retain exclusive use and operational control over much of the northern end of the terminal until the end of 2018 while securing rights to key infrastructure beyond this period.
In addition, BAC plans to make a significant investment in upgrading and improving facilities and services within the terminal, such as lounges and will assume control of the retail space of this part of the terminal.

Hawker Pacific Flight Centre and Brisbane Jet Base

Hawker Pacific Brisbane has two FBO Lounge and Operation Facilities, located on the North and South Aprons of Brisbane Airport. The Hawker Pacific facilities handle VIP and FIFO movements including Adhoc Military, Medical and Charter flights.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

;Notes
One of the Qantas flights operating to Los Angeles continues to New York–JFK, but for marketing purposes this sector is flown using a Sydney-Los Angeles flight number. Due to cabotage regulations, only passengers that have arrived on Qantas operated flights into the United States can travel on the Los Angeles-New York JFK sector.

Cargo

The following airlines operate scheduled cargo flights from Brisbane. All cargo services operate from the freight terminal.

Emergency

Motorised transport

Brisbane Airport has 4 car-parks, all operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are 2 multi-level undercover car parks, the international, providing short and long term services, and the domestic also provides long and short term parking. Qantas and Virgin Australia also offer Valet Parking at the domestic terminal only. Total car spaces number 9,000.

Rail

The airport has two railway stations as part of a privately owned airport rail line. The international terminal railway station is elevated and located next to the international terminal, as is the domestic railway station. Both stations are privately owned and operated by the Airtrain Citylink consortium. As a result, fares are more expensive than a regular suburban ticket however less than half the taxi fare. The AirtrainCitylink travels via the Queensland Rail City network to Fortitude Valley and the Brisbane CBD, with most trains continuing to the Gold Coast via South Bank.

Inter-terminal bus

There is an inter-terminal bus connecting the two terminals and the nearby Skygate shopping precinct, DFO and adjacent Novotel Brisbane Airport hotel.

Development projects

New parallel runway

On 18 September 2007, the federal government granted approval for the construction of a new parallel runway. The proposed $1.3 billion, runway will take approximately eight years to construct and is being built on swamp land west of the current terminal area and parallel to the existing main runway. The long construction period is due to the settling period of the 13 million cubic metres of sand fill that is to be dredged from Moreton Bay. In early December 2014 the delivery of 11 million cubic metres of sand to the site was completed. In 2019 asphalting of the second runway had begun and was completed by late 2019 while mid February 2020 saw the start of the line-marking of the runway. The runway was completed on April 30 2020 after over eight years of construction at a cost of over $1 billion. The new runway opened officially on Sunday July 12 2020.

Road infrastructure

To help relieve congestion between Brisbane and the airport, the Queensland Government, Brisbane City Council, and a Thiess/John Holland Group/Macquarie Bank consortium built the Airport Link project. It includes the longest tunnel in Australia from the interchange between the Inner City Bypass and Clem Jones Tunnel to the Airport Flyover over an improved Gateway Overpass which leads on to Airport Drive, cutting 16 sets of traffic lights. It was completed in mid-2012.
The Northern Access Road project, completed in December 2009, significantly reduces traffic congestion on Airport Drive. Moreton Drive, the, multi-lane road network, linking Gateway Motorway with the airport terminals, provides airport users with a second major access route to terminals and on-airport businesses.

Cycling Network

Brisbane Airport has cycling and pedestrian connections connecting to the Moreton Bay Bikeway network.

Brisbane Centre

The Brisbane FIR consists of New South Wales north of Sydney, all of Queensland, most of the Northern Territory and the northern half of Western Australia. It also contains the Australian Tasman Sea airspace. Brisbane Centre is located adjacent to Brisbane Tower at Brisbane Airport. It also contains Brisbane Approach.
Due to the nature of the airspace it controls most international flights in and out of Australia, and domestic flights operating to airports within the FIR. From Brisbane Centre, Airservices Australia manages the airspace over the northern half of Australia, representing 5 per cent of the world's total airspace. As only two of eight capitals are located in the Brisbane FIR, it handles a lesser volume of traffic than Melbourne Centre. However, Sydney is on the border of the two FIRs, and thus Brisbane Centre has control of flights arriving or departing in Sydney from the North.

Traffic and statistics

Brisbane Airport's annual passenger numbers were 23.1 million in 2017 and is expected to grow to around 50 million by 2035
RankAirportPassengers% Change
1952,865
2852,842
3502,104
4409,876
5376,795
6359,094
7280,058
8210,286
9197,392
10189,993

RankAirportPassengers% Change
14,788,059
23,556,885
31,362,514
4976,920
5976,100
6856,844
7717,341
8618,522
9584,093
10522,349
11396,051
12273,177

Awards

Brisbane Airport has won a number of awards; including being rated as Australia's No. 1 airport for quality of service 10 years in a row in a survey by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and being ranked as 3rd Best Airport in the world. In 2015, it was reported as the fourth-best medium-sized airport for on-time arrivals and departures. The international terminal won the Queensland architecture award. In 2005 Brisbane Airport was awarded the IATA Eagle Award, the second of only two Australian airports to receive such an award.

Accidents and incidents

On 15 February 2012, a Toll Aviation Fairchild Metro III freighter came to rest on its fuselage about 2.30 am. Neither of the two pilots was injured. The landing gear on the light plane failed to go down during testing after maintenance.

Notable people