Gold Coast flying high on domestic airline seat increase

Domestic airline capacity to the Gold Coast soared in the past 12 months with an extra 9000 seats a week now coming into the region, Tourism Minister Desley Boyle announced today.

In Parliament this week, Ms Boyle welcomed the 21 per cent annual increase to 53,200 inbound domestic seats per week, saying it was great news for the region.

“This massive increase in domestic airline capacity to the Gold Coast is great news for tourism,” Ms Boyle said.

Member for Mudgeeraba Dianne Reilly said the Gold Coast continued to attract a number of new flights and airlines.

“The Queensland Government has welcomed the launch of three daily Tiger Airways services from Melbourne,” Mrs Reilly said.

“At the same time, the Gold Coast received additional Jetstar and Virgin Blue flights from Melbourne and Sydney, and experienced growth in the frequency of Jetstar’s Adelaide-Gold Coast service from three to seven services a week.

“These figures are testament to the effort and innovation put into growing airline capacity in the region by the airport authorities and Tourism Queensland and there is only more great news to come.”

Mrs Reilly said from 8 April, Jetstar would operate three daily Melbourne-Gold Coast services with new, larger A321 aircraft.

“From 1 June, Jetstar will add another four a week to the Newcastle-Gold Coast route to become a daily return service,” she said.

“From mid 2008, the frequency of Jetstar’s Sydney-Gold Coast service will consolidate to nine to 10 times daily with an extra four weekly services introduced.

Ms Boyle said: “There has never been a more competitive and yet more exciting time to be involved in the aviation and tourism industries in Queensland.

"While there has been a softening of growth in international tourism recently, the continued growth of domestic tourism particularly in regional Queensland is very encouraging."

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Media contact: 3224 2007 or 3225 1005
Tourism Queensland: 3535 5010
28 February 2008