Three new flight routes into Brisbane and the Gold Coast are expected to inject almost $190 million into Queensland’s visitor economy.
State Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said Virgin Australia planned to add a Brisbane to Doha route to its schedule, with Jetstar expanding its trans-Tasman offering with direct flights from Dunedin and Hamilton into the Gold Coast.
Minister Powell said Virgin Australia’s new route, operated in partnership with Qatar Airways, would create new opportunities for travel and trade between Queensland and the Middle East, and on to more than 180 destinations across Europe, Asia and Africa.
He said the two-year deal was set to add up to 129,000 inbound seats annually and inject more than $90 million in overnight visitor expenditure.
“Jetstar is also expanding its trans-Tasman network with two new direct routes to the Gold Coast.”
Minister Powell said tri-weekly services from Dunedin and Hamilton marked Jetstar’s first-ever direct flights from both cities.
He said they would deliver more than 174,000 inbound seats and $99.3 million in overnight visitor expenditure into one of Queensland’s tourism heartlands over three years.
“All three routes, which were signed under the formerly named Attracting Aviation Fund, are supported by the Queensland Government’s strategic investment fund designed to grow international aviation access, support tourism operators and strengthen the economy.
“These new routes mean more tourists enjoying everything Queensland has to offer, giving visitors from all over the world affordable ways to reach our communities, boosting business for Queensland tourism operators.”
Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said Virgin Australia’s new daily flights were a major leap forward for Queensland’s connectivity with Europe.
“This marks the most significant increase in capacity between Queensland and Europe in the past two years, and we’re confident these new daily flights will boost tourism, strengthen international ties, and support Queensland’s exporters,” Mr de Graaff said.
He said Cathay Pacific had also announced that its Hong Kong to Brisbane service would move to “double-daily” from October, increasing flights to 14 per week, further expanding in-bound tourism seats to Queensland.
