Newcastle Airport has capped off a landmark year with record passenger numbers, days after being named Australia’s Airport of the Year.
The airport carried 1,300,775 passengers in FY26 – surpassing 1.3 million for the first time and marking 10 per cent growth on the previous year.
Newcastle Airport Chair Samantha Martin-Williams said the milestone reflected strong regional demand for greater connectivity, with new routes to Bali, Perth and Hobart contributing more than 94,000 additional passenger movements over the year.
“This record result demonstrates our region’s strong appetite for greater connectivity,” Martin-Williams said. “This is a regional growth story of national significance.”
The momentum has continued into the new financial year, with 112,689 passengers travelling through the airport in July – its busiest July on record, beating a previous high set in 2017.
Newcastle Airport CEO Linc Horton said the past year had also delivered two Australian firsts: becoming the first airport to achieve 5 Star Green Star Buildings “As Built” certification, and the first to receive Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4+. The airport also began international terminal operations and launched four new routes during the period.
Looking ahead, Horton flagged Fiji and Auckland as the airport’s “immediate route aspirations,” alongside a broader push for additional destinations as part of its long-term connectivity strategy.
