Newcastle Airport’s passenger numbers achieved an increase of 1.2 per cent for the 2013/14 financial year, taking total passenger numbers to 1,189,683.

Brisbane and Melbourne continued to be strong performers for Newcastle, with more than 80 per cent of total passengers travelling on these routes.

The Gold Coast service experienced growth of almost 30 per cent year-on-year. This was driven by an increase in the number of flights offered by Jetstar on this route.

“These results are encouraging,” Newcastle Airport CEO, Paul Hughes, said. “Particularly as we lost all our Canberra and some of our Sydney services with the collapse of Brindabella Airlines in the middle of the financial year.”

“To record a positive growth result in the current challenging aviation domestic market is a significant achievement.”

These results coincide with the commencement of the early works for the $14.5 million terminal redevelopment, which will increase the footprint of the terminal by almost 50 per cent.

“We’re certainly moving into a very exciting time for Newcastle Airport. Our passenger numbers prove the importance of the Airport as a transport hub for the region and I am looking forward to delivering a new terminal that supports our growth forecasts, benefiting the community,” Paul concluded.