BY ISABEL EVERETT
Newcastle Airport is welcoming the regions first visitors from Brisbane following the opening of the Queensland border on Tuesday morning.
Qantas flight QF242 arrived at the airport at midday, before departing on its return journey at 12:25pm.
Newcastle Airport CEO Peter Cock said airlines are ramping up their schedules as demand quickly builds.
“We know our region loves to fly. Recent polling has told us people from our region were twice as likely to be actively planning their next holiday as the Australian average.”
“As Northern NSW’s primary gateway to QLD we are seeing passenger demand driving an increase in flight frequency. This also includes many Queenslanders coming to enjoy what our region has to offer and reunite with family and friends,” he said.
“We are working closely with all our airline partners to help connect our region with Queensland and ensure we help meet the needs of our community.”
“There’s certainly a feeling of enthusiasm in the air as our operation teams, flight and ground crews, security, hospitality and retail staff, prepare to welcome passengers through the terminal.”
Flight schedules as of yesterday;
- Jetstar is flying between Brisbane and Newcastle daily
- Qantas has increased flights between Brisbane and Newcastle to once daily
- Jetstar is flying between the Gold Coast and Newcastle from Friday 6 November, four times per week.
- Virgin Australia is flying between Brisbane and Newcastle 6 days per week, from Monday 9 November
