Brisbane Airport has opened a new 12-lane passport control area at its International Terminal, with the facility becoming operational in time for the September school holidays.
The passport control point has been relocated to Level 4 of the International Terminal, alongside a new security screening area. Check-in, security screening and passport control are now located on a single level for the first time. The airport said the move also allows for a near doubling of the duty-free retail area.
The opening comes ahead of what the airport expects to be a busy period, with more than 1.8 million passengers forecast to pass through Brisbane Airport between September 18 and October 12. According to the airport, international travel over that period is forecast to be up 6.1% compared with the same period last year, with Queensland travelers heading to destinations including Japan, China, Europe, North America, Bali, Fiji and Vanuatu.
Monday, October 5 – a public holiday – is forecast by the airport to be the busiest day of the school holidays, and the second busiest day on record for Brisbane Airport, with 84,100 passengers expected across both terminals.
Brisbane Airport executive general manager of aviation Ryan Both explained the relocation would allow for a simpler, faster and more intuitive passenger journey. “No one wants a stressful start to their holiday, which is why we’re excited to open this new passport control facility before the school holiday rush,” he said. “Passengers can now move seamlessly from security screening to passport control in one streamlined journey, making it easier to get from curbside to gate.”
Both added that traffic around the terminals, parking, check-in, bag drop and security screening would all be busier than usual, and advised passengers to arrive 90 minutes before domestic flights and three hours before international ones.
Brisbane Airport is connected to 35 international and 63 domestic destinations, and says it welcomed a record 25 million passengers over the past year. The airport is currently investing A$5bn (US$3.3bn) to transform its precinct over the next five years as part of its Future BNE program.
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