New data has revealed just how much overseas traffic has surged through Gold Coast Airport in the past twelve months, with international passenger numbers soaring by 25% year on year.

The airport welcomed 6.5 million passengers throughout FY26, which was also the airport’s busiest year in history for Trans-Tasman travel.

Queensland Airports Limited CEO Amelia Evans said the outstanding result reflected the success of new routes and increased airline capacity driven by growing demand from the Gold Coast and Northern NSW region.

“We welcomed several new services to our network this year, particularly between the Gold Coast and New Zealand, making us Australia's most connected airport across the Tasman.

“Jetstar services to Hamilton and Dunedin launched in June 2025 exceeded expectations – with the airline increasing capacity on both routes just six months into operations. Qantas also recommenced international operations last month between Gold Coast and Auckland.

“Those routes, combined with strong demand on our existing Trans-Tasman services, helped drive New Zealand passenger growth by more than 20% year on year.”

“Passengers on other international routes grew by more than 53%, boosted by the introduction of new services including Jetstar's Bali route and Fiji Airways' direct service to Nadi, which launched last month.”

“The busiest month was January when we welcomed 637,000 travellers through the airport, which was the busiest month on record for New Zealand travel.”

The airport also welcomed 5.7 million domestic travellers, 5.6% more than in FY25.
"We continue to see demand outstrip supply on key domestic routes such as Sydney and Melbourne,” Ms Evans said.

“On the Sydney route, airlines increased capacity by 5%, adding more seats to the market, yet passenger numbers grew even faster – up 6%, or an additional 144,000 travellers.

“We saw a similar trend on the Melbourne route, where capacity increased by 4% while passenger numbers grew by 5%, or more than 106,000 additional travellers.”

Gold Coast Airport also announced last month, it will welcome the first ever commercial flight from Western Sydney International Airport in October, providing additional capacity into the Sydney market and greater choice for travellers on one of the country’s busiest routes.