Brisbane revealed as booming international travel hub

FCM Travel General Manager ANZ Renos Rologas said the growth in bookings and fares was a positive sign for the Brisbane economy, and lower fares was great news for travellers, but more seat capacity was needed to ensure the trend continued.   

“Brisbane's international airline seat capacity is currently at 90 per cent of what it was before the pandemic, which has it slightly lagging behind the Australian average of 96 per cent,” he said.  

“I have no doubt that this news today will encourage both our international and domestic carriers to add more flights and more new routes in and out of Brisbane, which will of course drive more choice and better fares for travellers.   

“As we often see with airfares, there are certainly winners and losers, so it pays to know which destinations are seeing the biggest rate of savings.  

“For example, San Francisco, Dubai, Paris, Rome and Auckland are seeing the biggest drops, with savings of up to 26 per cent on economy tickets on those routes.  

“But flights to Port Moresby have been getting more expensive for travellers, and that’s coming down to the sheer amount of demand we’re seeing on that route, which is one of the most popular across corporate travellers. 

“The top international destinations for FCM Travel customers departing from Brisbane in the first half of 2024 were Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. 

"These trends not only reflect the resilience and strength of the travel sector but also underscore the growing confidence of businesses in international markets, and we’re committed to facilitating seamless connection across the global for all of our travellers. 

“Brisbane's economy has shown resilience in recent years, rebounding strongly relative to other cities from the global pandemic, and faring more positively amidst economic challenges.” 

According to Oxford Economics, Brisbane's economy has outperformed most other APAC cities over recent years, and this trend is expected to continue with economic growth of around 24 per cent forecast from 2024 to 2032.