Arrival of Singapore Airlines boosts passenger numbers
Passenger numbers at Canberra Airport increased by nine per cent in the past year, in line with a record number of international visitors to the nation’s capital.
Close to 3.1 million passengers were at the Airport in the 12 months to 31 July 2017.
The increase follows Singapore Airlines becoming the first international airline to offer international flights to Canberrans from September 2016, along with flights to Melbourne by low cost airline Tiger Air commencing in December 2016.
From February 2018, Qatar Airways will begin a daily service to Canberra, allowing Canberrans to travel to the Middle East and 23 European cities via Sydney.
“We have held a long-held dream that we could connect Canberra with the rest of the world,” Canberra Airport Managing Director Stephen Byron said.
“Now we are also welcoming a record number of visitors to Canberra.
“And with Qatar Airways announcing competitive flights to the Middle East and Europe from February next year, we are looking forward to even greater movement at Canberra Airport.”
Figures by Tourism Research Australia released on Wednesday show international visitors injected more than $500 million into the local ACT economy during the year to June 2017.