Townsville Airport facilitates busiest January on record in 2018, with 128,906 people passing through the terminal
Townsville Airport is the gateway to North Queensland, welcoming 1.6 million passengers to the region in FY23.
As the gateway to many of North Queensland’s natural wonders, Townsville Airport boasts a unique passenger mix of tourism, business, defence and resource industry travellers, and is a joint-user facility with the Department of Defence.
Townsville Airport is also home to the QAL-owned Northern Australian Aerospace Centre of Excellence (NAACEX), a purpose-built hangar precinct for aviation-related businesses.
Townsville Airport was privatised by the Federal Government in June 1998, with more than $118 million invested in the facility since then.
Strong connectivity to regional Queensland as well as Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne
Serviced by Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Alliance, Airnorth and REX.
Joint shared facility with the Department of Defence
Home to the Northern Australian Aerospace Centre of Excellence (NAACEX)
Since QAL acquired Townsville Airport in 2005, the following significant milestones have been achieved:
Townsville Airport facilitates busiest January on record in 2018, with 128,906 people passing through the terminal
In February 2017, Tigerair Australia announced a direct return service from Townsville to Melbourne operating four times weekly from June 2017.
Growth in annual passenger movements from 670,673 in 2004 to almost 1.6 million in 2010.
BEA Systems moved into the NAACEX precinct in 2009.
A terminal refurbishment, adding new check in counters, the upgrade of concessionaires and new carpet was finished in February 2007.
A complete runway overlay costing at $20 million was completed in July 2006.
Mining boom kicked off in 2004 - seeing a dramatic acceleration in passenger numbers. Townsville also became a major port for the fly-in, fly-out mining employment sector.
Townsville Airport welcomed Bonza’s Toowoomba Wellcamp service in April 2022
Departure lounge and escalator replacement project commenced in early 2022
State-of-the-art security screening upgrades delivered in early 2022
Bonza launches first two routes to Townsville Airport from Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton in February 2022
Meenan Street extension delivered at Townsville Airport in 2020, improving access to the airport precinct.
Townsville Airport facilitates busiest January on record in 2018, with 128,906 people passing through the terminal.
In February 2017, Tigerair Australia announced a direct return service from Townsville to Melbourne operating four times weekly from June 2017.
$2.7 million upgrade of the airport’s main car parks and taxi pick up areas in 2010.
Growth in annual passenger movements from 670,673 in 2004 to almost 1.6 million in 2010.
BAE Systems moved into the NAACEX precinct in 2009.
A terminal refurbishment was finished in February 2007.
A complete runway overlay costing $20 million was completed in July 2006.
Mining boom kicked off in 2004 – seeing a dramatic acceleration in passenger numbers. Townsville also became a major port for the fly-in, fly-out mining employment sector.
Townsville is North Queensland’s largest population base with over 193,000 residents, making it a hub for industry and investment for Central and Northern Queensland. When incorporating Townsville’s surrounding North Queensland region, it is a key contributor to the State’s economic growth.
Townsville's industry makeup is diverse, including strong agriculture and resource sectors, Australia’s largest military base, a world class university, and a large portion of North Queensland's government administration being managed in the city. This provides a sustainable economic environment for the region.
Townsville Airport's passenger mix is evenly spread between business and leisure, providing year round market stability. Townsville's inbound tourism market is growing as the destination develops with new visitor experiences being delivered, for example North Queensland Stadium and the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA).
For more information on Townsville Airport, visit www.townsvilleairport.com.au.
