Hobart Airport is set to begin the first stage of its redevelopment, which will see the size of the terminal double and a significant upgrade to the runway get underway in the coming months.
The project, expected to be completed by late 2026, is aimed at accommodating the projected growth in passenger numbers, from 2.8 million in 2020 to 5.5 million by 2042.
Almost twice as large as the current 12,000-square-metre airport, which was last updated to accommodate 1.5 million people each year, the upgrade will see the new airport’s footprint close to 23,000sm.
Work will start on upgrading the airport’s parking infrastructure and road network first before terminal and runway upgrades begin at a later stage.
With a $60m injection from the federal government towards the runway upgrade, it’s hoped more airlines will add to Hobart to their destination lists as more aircraft, including wide-body and long-haul planes, will become able to use the airport.
Currently the ninth-busiest domestic airport in the country, Hobart currently has services with Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin to every Australian capital city bar Darwin, with Air New Zealand offering one international passenger route to and from Auckland.
Named Australia’s fastest-growing major capital city airport in the five years from 2014 to 2019, Hobart played host to 2.8 million passengers in 2019.
Airport officials say passenger numbers have rebounded post-pandemic, with future passenger predictions of close to 3.5 million each year by 2030 also looking strong.
