Gold Coast Airport has recorded its busiest year for domestic passengers, with the Glitter Strip cementing itself as a favourite destination for Aussies.
Gold Coast has well and truly bounced back from the pandemic with more than 5.6 million people travelling through the airport in the last financial year.
That’s up by more than 210,000 passengers on the previous record and an increase of 5 per cent on pre-COVID levels.
Routes between the Gold Coast, Sydney, and Melbourne were among the top five busiest routes in the country.
The airport also welcomed 706,000 international travellers, taking the total number of passengers to 6.3 million.
The city has also seen an increase in travellers from across the ditch, with New Zealand passenger numbers up 8 per cent.
“Cost-of-living pressures are seeing Australian travellers choose domestic holiday destinations like the Gold Coast overtaking their family overseas,” Queensland Airports Limited’s Chief Operating Officer Marion Charlton said.
“This was particularly obvious during the summer school holidays – January was our busiest month in history for domestic travel with the busiest day for the year on January 14.
“While international travel has been softer compared to pre-pandemic levels, domestic travel is making up the difference with around 5 per cent more domestic travellers this year than in FY19.”
