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Cairns Airport is anticipating a “bumper year” in 2025, with international passengers exceeding pre-COVID levels.
The airport will see a number of new international routes commence in coming months, including a seasonal Cathay Pacific service to Hong Kong on 17 December, as well as a Jetstar route to Christchurch and a Fiji Airways route to Nadi, both starting in April.
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Domestically, Jetstar this week began flights from Cairns to the Sunshine Coast, replacing a service formerly operated by Bonza before its collapse, with the low-cost carrier’s Newcastle service also returning next year.
According to airport CEO Richard Barker, more than 270,000 passengers are expected to transit through Cairns in the three weeks to Christmas.
“In 2024, we welcomed Singapore Airlines’ widebody A350 services and AirAsia Indonesia began flying to Cairns Airport for the first time. International passenger numbers are consistently tracking above 2019 levels, with more than 12,000 travellers passing through our international terminal on average each week,” he said.
“Cathay Pacific’s return in a couple of weeks will deliver almost 27,000 seats across the season, offering ideal connectivity for the thousands of visitors expected to celebrate Chinese New Year in Tropical North Queensland, and it is fantastic to have Jetstar operating a direct route from Cairns to the Sunshine Coast up to four times per week, ahead of the Christmas holidays.”
The news comes as Cairns Airport is set to undergo up to $155 million worth of upgrades alongside Mackay after securing a loan from the federal government’s Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) in June.
The loan to North Queensland Airports (NQA) will allow the first major refurbishment of Cairns’ international terminal in its approximately 30-year history, while Mackay Airport will upgrade the runway, taxiway and apron services and create a mixed retail and commercial precinct.
Cairns is Australia’s seventh-busiest airport for international traffic, with destinations including Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Shanghai, Bali, Auckland and Port Moresby.
The funding will enable it to expand baggage claim belts, renovate its international departure lounge, and construct new airside infrastructure including aircraft stands, new taxiways, and upgrades to existing taxiways.
The government says the works at Cairns and Mackay will deliver $1.4 billion in economic benefits, creating 500 regional jobs during construction and almost 1,500 when in operation.
