Newcastle Airport has received two major honours at the Australian Airports Association’s prestigious 2025 National Airport Industry Awards, held this week in the Gold Coast.
Recognised in the highly-contested Infrastructure and Sustainability categories, the awards celebrate Newcastle Airport’s transformation into a world-class international gateway and its leadership in sustainable aviation.
Newcastle Airport won the Airport Excellence Award for Infrastructure for its landmark International Terminal Expansion project, as well as the Airport Excellence Award for Sustainability, earning recognition across two categories in a highly competitive national field.
“We were finalists across six categories recognising airport achievements and senior leadership and we couldn’t be more honoured to stand among our peers and celebrate their achievements,” Newcastle Airport CEO Linc Horton said.
“Taking home two of the awards is just icing on the cake.
“Winning these awards reflects the long-term vision and effort behind delivering a terminal built for the future. “We have a brand new international terminal ready to serve our region that has been built to lead in sustainable design.”
The Infrastructure award acknowledges the scale and success of the airport’s $250 million terminal transformation. The redevelopment adds 50% to the terminal’s footprint, introduces eight gates, an expanded arrivals hall, streamlined passenger flows and a state-of-the-art aerobridge, enabling the terminal to accommodate larger international aircraft.
“Our new international terminal sets the stage for a more connected and competitive region as we now have the infrastructure to support long-haul international services and deliver the airport the region deserves,” Horton added.
“The new terminal is already paying dividends, with recent direct routes launched to Perth, Hobart and Bali, and one-stop access to Singapore via Bali launching in March 2026. These new services demonstrate the role our infrastructure plays in attracting new airlines and creating new opportunities for business, tourism and trade.”
The project’s economic impact is expected to generate more than 4,400 long-term jobs and contribute $12.7 billion in economic activity over the next 20 years, with benefits split between freight, logistics and tourism.
The terminal expansion is a leap in capacity and in sustainability. The building uses 100% renewable energy and includes a 1,236-panel solar array providing 20% of its power needs. It has already achieved a 5-Star Green Star ‘Design’ rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, with a 5-Star ‘As Built’ rating targeted.
These sustainability credentials formed the basis of the airport’s second win of the evening: the Airport Excellence Award for Sustainability.
Newcastle Airport became the first Airport in Australia to reach Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4+, achieving Net Zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions six years ahead of its 2030 target. This achievement was backed by a 100 per cent renewable Power Purchase Agreement and nature-based offsets.
Horton said sustainability is integrated into how we plan, build and operate with this award affirming our commitment to doing business the right way and leading the industry in environmental accountability.
“It’s a win for the airport and for the region,” Horton said. “We know our region wants more choice and better access to the world and we now have the infrastructure, capability and momentum to make that happen.”
With the expanded terminal at full operational readiness and new routes taking off, Newcastle Airport is firmly focused on securing more direct services to key domestic and international destinations.
Newcastle Airport was a finalist across the infrastructure, operations and sustainability categories with four leaders across the business also recognised. These include:
- Airport Excellence Awards
- Infrastructure: Building the airport our region deserves: A once-in-a-generation infrastructure project
- Operations: Keeping an airport running during its biggest transformation: Newcastle’s ORAT success story
- Sustainability: The Greenest Airport in Australia: Newcastle Airport’s year of sustainable achievements
- Emerging Airport Leader Award (individual awards)
- Bayley Foley, Business Manager, Property Management and Leasing: Redefining Airport Property at 22
- Ben Kochanski, Executive GM Planning & Infrastructure: Building the airport our region deserves: how infrastructure expertise fast-tracked Newcastle’s global future
- Burcak Sezer, Executive General Manager People and Communications: From Global Brands to Regional Impact
- Dylan Parker, Marketing and Communications Manager: How a Paper Plane Sparked a Career in Aviation Leadership
Horton said the airport thrives because it has a skilled Board and dedicated senior leadership with teams across the business that share the same vision of achieving great things for the airport and region it serves.
Newcastle Airport flies to 12 destinations with over 250 weekly flights now connecting the region to key interstate and international hubs.
