Last week the Gold Coast Airport welcomed 320 holidaymakers from Singapore into its impressive new multi-level international terminal. The $260-million expansion, which has been three years in the making, has ushered in a new era of staying and playing on the Gold Coast and represents an important milestone in the recovery of the local tourism industry after two exceptionally challenging years. The three-level 30000-sqm expansion has connected seamlessly with the existing terminal and added six new gates, allowing for a total of 19 aircraft on the tarmac. The new terminal also includes a range of new shops, cafes and eateries alongside new border control facilities, four glass aerobridges, seven escalators and nine lifts, a departure lounge, and a new baggage handling area. An expanded duty-free store operated by Heinemann has almost doubled in size to bring its full product range to the Gold Coast for the first time including almost 40 new brands including Prada, Dior, Tom Ford, Gucci and Bottega Veneta. It will also be the first duty-free shop in Oceania to feature Kylie Cosmetics.

“This new space doubles our terminal footprint allowing us to accommodate current and future passenger capacity,” Queensland Airports Limited CEO Amelia Evans said. “We are ready to welcome the world.” The international terminal is a key component of the ongoing transformation of the Gold Coast Airport precinct, with about $500 million worth of works delivered, underway, or in the pipeline. Through 2023 there will be a further 18 new food and beverage and retail outlets trading at Gold Coast Airport. We don’t know about you, but we’ll be keeping our peepers peeled for flight specials.

Image credit: Supplied.