Queensland aviation: rapid Asia growth. 7 new airlines for Brisbane

Asia has emerged as a fast growing market for Brisbane and Queensland, driven by rapid expansion from Asian airlines. In Jun-2019 Thai AirAsia X and Royal Brunei Airlines will become the sixth and seventh airlines from Asia to launch services to Brisbane since 2017.

In Jul-2019 the Brisbane-Asia market will be served with 137 weekly frequencies, generating approximately 34,000 weekly one-way seats. In Jul-2016 the Brisbane-Asia market was served with only 87 weekly flights, generating approximately 24,000 weekly one-way seats.

The new services to Asia are important for Queensland and its tourism industry, which accounts for 4% of Queensland's GDP. China has become the largest source market for Queensland while Japan is the third largest source market. Other Asian markets are smaller but have been growing, and the rate of growth should accelerate as new nonstop flights stimulate demand.