Australia’s Brisbane Airport (BNE) has reported a 6% year-over-year rise in passenger traffic to 1.8 million passengers in April, compared with figures from the same month in 2013.
The airport experienced a 14% growth in the international departures and arrivals, with roughly 50,000 additional passengers using BNE in April.
According to the airport, the growth in the number of international passengers for April was influenced by certain factors, including low growth in 2013, the launch of new Jetstar B787 services to Bali and Cathay Pacific operating more services direct to Brisbane.
“If this trend continues, we look forward to finishing the financial year with another record-breaking year in passenger numbers at Brisbane.”
New Zealand, China, UK and US are among the major markets that helped in growth.
The number of domestic passengers also increased by 52,000 additional travellers, which represents a 3.9% year-on-year increase against the same period in 2013. This was attributed to the occurrence of the Cyclone Ita, school holidays and the Anzac Day long weekend.
The major capacity change in domestic passengers in April was due to introduction of Tigerair’s second BNE-based aircraft to launch two new routes between Brisbane, Cairns and Darwin.
Brisbane Airport CEO and managing director Julieanne Alroe said the result was not unexpected for such a busy time of year.
“There was a combination of factors contributing to the high passenger numbers recorded in April, including the timing of holidays this year, but notably a number of international airlines have boosted capacity into Brisbane, in conjunction with offering competitive fares that stimulate tourism,” Alroe said.
“If this trend continues, we look forward to finishing the financial year with another record-breaking year in passenger numbers at Brisbane.”
