Business
4 December, 2024
Airport of year – again
CAIRNS Airport management and staff have been rewarded for their “determination and resilience” to get the major logistical hub back up and running after last December’s Cyclone Jasper and following floods.
The airport has been named major airport of the year at the Australian Airports Association (AAA) National Airport Industry Awards 2024 for a second year in a row.
Earlier this year, the business was also named airport of the year at the Australian Aviation Awards, again for the second time in a row.
Cairns Airport chief executive officer Richard Barker said he was “so proud of the Cairns Airport team and their commitment to our community and region”.
“This is the second year in a row Cairns Airport has been named major airport of the year at the Australian Airports Association (AAA) National Airport Industry Awards and it is wonderful to be celebrated at this level,” he said.
“This award recognises our team’s determination during the unprecedented flood last year.
“Our mammoth effort to reopen the aerodrome produced an exceptional outcome for our community, stakeholders and industry.
“The Cairns Airport team are innovative and resilient when faced with challenges, and we are proud to support our community, many of whom remain in our thoughts as they continue to recover after the devastating floods.”
For the first time, on December 17 last year, flood waters breached the levee banks at the airport which closed later on that Sunday afternoon after 309mm fell in 24 hours and floodwaters from the nearby Barron River exceeded 3.8m.
Crews worked throughout Monday, December 18 to pump water from the runway, clear debris and inspect runway lighting and equipment to ensure it was safe to resume operations on Tuesday, December 19.
Award judges said close to 80,000 passengers were processed through Cairns Airport in the week before Christmas.
“During this period in 2023, the team at Cairns Airport faced one of its biggest challenges to date,” they said.
“On Sunday, December 17, for the first time, flood waters came over the levee at Cairns Airport.
“This unprecedented event has been recorded as the region’s worst flood since 1910.
“Operations needed to cease in the midst of the peak travel period. The Cairns Airport team displayed mammoth determination and resilience during this extraordinary situation”.
Mr Barker said “critically, we continued to hit the ground running amidst the recovery, delivering significant international growth for Tropical North Queensland”.
“We have Fiji Airways and Air Asia Indonesia flying to Cairns for the first time and announced the first direct connection to Christchurch with Jetstar, commencing in April,” he said.
“We are also just weeks away from the return of Cathay Pacific, which will complement Singapore Airlines’ A350 widebody services, another huge success of 2024.
“Our international passenger numbers are consistently exceeding pre-COVID figures and there’s more to look forward to as we approach 2025.”
The latest figures show that the airport has processed 624,080 international passengers in the last 12 months, a jump of 167,123, or 36.6 per cent on the previous period.
