Strong passenger numbers continue as seasonal services take-off

Launceston Airport welcomed a total of 119,449 passengers through the airport in October, which is just 150 passengers shy of the all-time record for the month.

It takes the total number of passengers for the calendar year so far to 1,168,364 which is the busiest January to October period on record.

October marked the resumption of Virgin Australia’s direct seasonal services to Perth and Adelaide, giving passengers direct access to five mainland capital city markets for the summer – almost double the number of direct services offered pre pandemic.

Launceston Airport CEO Shane O’Hare said strong passenger numbers despite a tight economic climate and turbulent aviation landscape was pleasing.

“We are on track to record the busiest year on record at Launceston Airport, and to do that in the face of some strong headwinds is a positive sign for tourism and business in this state,” he said.

“Our passenger numbers are now regularly above pre pandemic levels and growing which places us amongst a handful of airports nationwide that have achieved these results.

“The state government’s decision to increase its investment in aviation attraction will be crucial to enable us to continue to expand operations here at Launceston Airport.

“The next twelve months are going to be busy for us as we look to grow our existing services and work towards attracting new ones.

“We look forward to welcoming Qantas’ seasonal service to Brisbane in December which when coupled with existing Virgin and Jetstar services will provide Tasmanians with more choice this summer for popular south-east Queensland beach getaways.”

“These services are not only popular routes for passengers but also incredibly important for freight, enabling producers to get high-value, time sensitive Tasmanian produce out to market.

“It’s an exciting time for the airport with the strength of our passenger numbers enabling us to embark on the biggest infrastructure investment pipeline in the airport’s history.”