New records set at award winning Newcastle Airport

Fresh from being crowned Airport of the Year in the Australian Aviation Awards, Newcastle Airport has celebrated another major milestone, recording the highest passenger numbers in its history, cementing its position as one of Australia’s fastest-growing airports.

Airport chair, Samantha Martin-Williams, said surpassing 1.3 million passengers in a 12 month period for the first time was a significant milestone for the region and represented 10% growth on the previous financial year.

“This record result demonstrates our region’s strong appetite for greater connectivity, with our newly introduced services to Bali, Perth and Hobart continuing to perform exceptionally well,” stated Martin-Williams.

“The new Denpasar (Bali), Perth and Hobart routes contributed more than 94,000 additional passenger movements during the year. This demonstrates the outstanding results that can be achieved for the Hunter when airlines, governments and communities work together to deliver the services our region has been calling for.”

She continued: “We’ve carried that momentum straight into the new financial year, with 112,689 passengers travelling through Newcastle Airport in July.

“It was our busiest July on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2017 and giving us a strong start to what promises to be another big year for the airport and our region.”

While Newcastle Airport CEO, Linc Horton, noted that the Airport of the Year award belongs to the community, businesses, governments and partners who backed Newcastle Airport’s growth and helped turn it into one of the fastest growing airports in Australia.

He said: “This recognition also gives us an opportunity to pause, say thank you to our region and celebrate how far we’ve come together while remaining focused on what comes next.

“Over the past year alone, we’ve started flying from our international terminal, launched four new routes and achieved two Australian firsts, becoming the first airport to achieve a 5 Star Green Star Buildings ‘As Built’ certification and the first to receive Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4+.

“These achievements highlight the work happening behind the scenes to deliver better outcomes for passengers, industry and our community.

“There is so much more potential to connect the Hunter with Australia and the world, making it easier for visitors to experience our region and giving our community greater choice when they travel.

“Every new route we’ve introduced has been met with overwhelming support from the community, demonstrating the strength of demand that exists across our region and providing a strong case for additional services.

“The region’s appetite for travel has never been stronger and as additional airline capacity comes online, we expect to unlock even greater opportunities for tourism, trade, investment and jobs across the Hunter.

“We will continue to build on this record year and be the airport our region deserves.

“Our immediate route aspirations include Fiji and Auckland, however we are actively pursuing a number of additional destinations as part of our long-term connectivity strategy for the region.”