Newcastle Airport posts record quarter as more routes flagged, including Fiji and Auckland

newy.com.au – Newcastle Airport announced that 340,778 passengers travelled through its Williamtown terminal in October, November and December 2025, the highest quarterly total in the airport’s history.

The record quarter follows the opening of the airport’s expanded terminal last year and the launch of new direct services including Bali, Perth and Hobart, as the council-owned airport seeks more international connections and government support to attract additional routes.

Direct flights to Perth began in September, before the international terminal opened two weeks later, with Bali flights taking off in October and a Hobart link introduced ahead of Christmas.

December was the airport’s busiest month on record with 111,007 passengers, the October-to-December total was 148,000 higher than pre-COVID levels in 2019.

The airport said it was on track to reach 1.334 million passengers by the end of FY26, a record for the airport and the Hunter region, while about 1.3 million passengers were forecast to use the airport this year. Newcastle Airport CEO Linc Horton told NBN News, “We show the airlines that people are here and these latest numbers show that if we add it, people will use it”.

This milestone comes as international services expand, with the airport saying direct flights to Bali had launched successfully and that from Saturday 29 March 2026 passengers would be able to travel from Newcastle to Singapore via Bali, describing it as a key link to an important Asian hub. NBN News also reported the airport was counting down to a fourth Bali flight to be added in March, alongside the Singapore connection.

Horton said the results reflected “strong demand and the confidence of travellers in the region”, adding: “In a case of build it and they will come; the Hunter is proving that the new terminal and greater connectivity is exactly what the region ordered.”

“Passenger demand continues to exceed expectations and this record quarter highlights the Hunter’s readiness for more direct international services,” Horton said, calling for “strategic partnership from both governments to help unlock the next wave of air connectivity for the Greater Hunter and our extended catchment”. He told NBN News “We are focused on the obvious ones, FIJI, Auckland, those are the two big ones, and hopefully we’ll be able to this year”.

To build on the growth, the airport has submitted a proposal to the NSW Government for co-investment in new aviation routes and feasibility work for an airline base on site, including a proposed co-funded five-year Newcastle Airport Accelerated Aviation Growth Fund. The airport said the fund would unlock an additional 1,000,000 airline seats into NSW annually and support the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2035 target of 8.5 million new airline seats.

At the federal level, Newcastle Airport said it was focusing on supporting the safe and scalable expansion of international operations, supporting Australia’s sovereign capability, looking at sustainability via greener air travel and moving to close the gap in the region’s logistics network.

Business Hunter chief executive Bob Hawes said he had recently travelled on the Bali and Perth services and described the services as improving access for both business and leisure travel. “These connections make it easier for local businesses to access new and existing markets and for our community to explore the world from their own backyard,” Hawes said.

Committee for the Hunter chief executive Alice Thompson said she had returned from a trip to Bali via Newcastle Airport, citing “cheap and convenient parking, direct flights, and a terminal that still smells like a new car”. “It is not surprising to see these record numbers as we are a region that wants to travel from our own home, not Sydney,” Thompson said.

In a social media post, City of Newcastle Labor councillor Declan Clausen said the record quarter was “Proof that Facts age better than fear campaigns”, arguing it should “put to rest the irresponsible noise we heard last year from some high-profile voices predicting financial collapse, mismanagement or worse”. Clausen wrote, “None of that was true, and the Airport’s performance has now well and truly proven it,”.

Newcastle Airport said discussions on further international and domestic growth were continuing, with the Singapore connection due to begin in March as it presses its NSW budget proposal.