Picture: ANDREW KACIMAIWAI
Today is proving to be the busiest day of the year for Brisbane Airport with 62,000 domestic passengers passing through.
The airport says the surge is fuelled by Brisbane Lions fans flying to Melbourne for the AFL Grand Final clash with Sydney, and as Queenslanders return home after school holidays even as NSW school holidays begin.
“Friday would have been busy even without the Lions making the grand final due to the school holiday overlap but now it is in record breaking territory,” says Brisbane Airport spokesman Peter Doherty.
“Airlines added 40 additional flights across the period to cope with this surge in demand and passengers booked on QF621 on Friday are set to receive a special surprise,” he says.
Qantas also upgraded selected flights from Boeing 737s to the larger Airbus A330 aircraft.
“Even though there is a large number of people on the move, our advice to travellers is to arrive the normal 90 minutes prior to your domestic departure, check-in online before you get to the terminal and book car parking in advance,” Mr Doherty says.
According to the airport, the Lions appearance in the AFL Grand Final significantly boosted travel demand.
An airport statement says the end of Queensland holidays coincides with the start of holidays in NSW, and in Victoria.
As direct flights between Brisbane and Melbourne sell out quickly, many passengers are opting to travel via Sydney, the airport reports.
From Wednesday, September 25, to Monday, September 30, an estimated 75,400 passengers flew Brisbane-Melbourne. An estimated 81,400 passengers will fly Brisbane-Sydney as fans seek another way to get to Melbourne.
The current post-pandemic record in the domestic terminal was 61,061 passengers on September 29, 2023, during the Brisbane Broncos (NRL) and Lions (AFL) grand finals.
The record for the terminal pre-COVID was 63,525 passengers on Friday, October 4, 2019.
