Hotel & HospitalityClare BurnettFri 19 Jun 26
Brisbane Airport Third Terminal Included in Greenlit $5bn Masterplan
A masterplan for a $5-billion investment in Brisbane Airport has been approved.
The five-year blueprint, greenlit by the Commonwealth, includes progressing plans for Terminal 3, which is slated for between the two main runways.
The vision for the airport was drafted last year by the Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) after forecasts passenger numbers would double in the next 20 years,
It dovetails with the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games, and is intended to support the growth in traveller numbers due to the events.
BAC is a consortium of investors including IFM, QIC and Spirit Super.
Terminal 3 is planned to total 26,000sq m and include aviation services, short-term accommodation, offices, shops, and food and drink outlets.
It would handle domestic and international passengers under one roof, and be incrementally expanded in stages through to 2046.
It will ultimately be able to handle 18 million passengers a year.
Terminal 3 would be completed in stages from the mid-2030s, with key components including passenger gates, connections to Terminal 2 and a hotel development.
The masterplan was approved by Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King this week.
The masterplan also covers the expansion and upgrade of departure lounges, baggage handling system capacities and self service processing facilities for Terminal 1, Brisbane Airport’s international terminal.
Brisbane Airport masterplan Terminal 3 plans
Advanced baggage reclaim technology and new departure lounges will be the focus of work for the domestic terminal, Terminal 2.
While it does not outline another runway in the immediate future, land is being reserved for runway extensions, as well as taxiway expansions to service Terminal 3.
The Skygate retail outlet could also be expanded under the plans, with an estimated 45,000sq m of gross floor area in the pipeline. Offices, shops, showrooms, and food and drink outlets could be part of that.
Undertaken every five years, the aim of the masterplan was to enhance connectivity by adding destinations to the airport rosters, improve and increase the capacity of passenger terminals, and improve transport connectivity for passengers, BAC said.
The draft plan acknowledged that the majority of passengers traveled to Brisbane airport in private vehicles—47 per cent, compared to 5 per cent using the AirTrain and 18 per cent in taxis—but there are “constraints and contractual restrictions around public transport provision”.
The Brisbane AirTrain is under a 35-year private contract which prevents other public transport to the airport until 2036.
A valuation of the AirTrain by its parent company earlier this month—coming in at $45 million—prompted calls for the state government to buy back the service.
Passengers number to the airport, 10km from Brisbane CBD, are expected to skyrocket during the next two decades.
By 2032, 34.8 million passengers are expected through the airport and 52.3 million international and domestic passengers by 2046, compared to the current 25.7 million
In 2023 BAC scrapped a $1-billion Auto Mall project in 2023, which would have included a performance track and new car showrooms, and was part of its 2020 masterplan.
