Brisbane Airport has kicked off the summer (yes, it’s December already) with a bang, welcoming more Cathay Pacific flights from today, the touchdown of the first Brisbane-Los Angeles service this morning, and predicting nearly 4 million passengers over the school holidays.
HK boost
Cathay Pacific has just announced it has increased its Brisbane-Hong Kong service from four to six flights per week from today, prompted by tourism, cargo and international student demand.
The new service, flight CX156, will depart BNE at 00:40 and arrive in Hong Kong at 07:30 every day from Friday to Wednesday. The return flight CX157, will leave HKG at 12.30 and touch down in BNE at 23.15 every day from Thursday to Tuesday.
Cathay will operate a mix of A350 and B777 aircraft on the new service, with a maximum of 294 seats, including 59 fully flat Business class seats, 34 Premium Economy and 201 Economy seats (based on the B777-300ER).
“We’re proud to be increasing our services to Brisbane to six flights per week as we continue to meet the increasing demand within Queensland’s tourism and export sectors,” Cathay Pacific Regional General Manager of Southwest Pacific, Frosti Lau said.
This week, the airline announced it would become the first airline in Asia-Pacific to bring Disney + original titles to the sky. From today, BNE-HKG passengers will be among those passengers who’ll be able to enjoy the offering that includes more than 100 hours of films, series and documentaries from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.
New LAX
This morning, United Airlines’ inaugural Brisbane-Los Angeles service touched down at BNE, pushing capacity between Brisbane and the United States beyond pre-pandemic levels.
The arrival of UA283 saw two United Dreamliners parked side by side at Brisbane Airport for the first time, with the American carrier also operating a daily, non-stop BNE-SFO service from last year.
United Airlines is the only US carrier to fly to Queensland.
Ex-BNE flights will depart at 1245pm on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, while ex-LAX flights will depart at 9pm and arrive in Brisbane at 05.15am on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
“We are excited to see the launch of this service in time for the start of the summer holidays. We know a trip to LA and Disneyland has long been a bucket list item for many families,” Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said.
“We expect 1 million passengers will travel through the International Terminal these holidays, up 46 per cent on last year, and the United Airlines services to Los Angeles and San Francisco will be an important part of that growth.
“To see two Dreamliners from United Airlines on our tarmac for the first time is a magic moment.”
United Airlines Regional Manager – Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti Tim Wallis said, “Australians are in the top five sources for international visitors to Los Angeles just as Americans are for Queensland, and we’re happy to offer travellers, and our trade partners, even more choice”.
“Our strong partnership with Virgin Australia provides excellent connectivity in this part of the world and has helped United be the clear choice for travellers between our two regions,” he added.
“LAX Airport has undergone significant infrastructure works in recent times, improving the transit experience considerably for travellers with U.S. or Latin American connections.
“Brisbane Airport Corporation have been wonderful partners to work with, and we enjoy a really collaborative and engaged relationship.
“We look forward to continuing to grow this partnership, ensuring the success of these UA services, and hopefully leading to future growth.”
Holiday boom
Brisbane Airport predicts a total of 3.7 million passengers will pass through its domestic and international terminals these school holidays – a 20 per cent rise on last year’s holidays and just four per cent off 2019 numbers.
The airport expects to welcome 2.7 million domestic passengers (96 per cent of 2019 levels) and 1 million international passengers (88 per cent of 2019 levels) during this time.
Notably, China is forecast to return as a top three source market for visitors to Queensland – with Brisbane Airport set to welcome 14 flights per week from China over the holiday and Lunar New Year peak – and India has risen to number four as a source market.
Elsewhere, Gold Coast Airport is anticipating one of its busiest summer holidays on record, with 1.2 million passengers expected during December and January.
“The terminal will be busy so we’re encouraging passengers to book their parking online, check-in online and allow plenty of time to get to and through the airport,” Queensland Airports Limited Chief Operating Officer Marion Charlton said, with the busiest days expected to be the Friday, Saturday and Sunday before Christmas and the first week of January.
Earlier this month, Queensland airports won gongs in seven categories at the Australian Airports Association’s (AAA) National Industry Awards.
