Host Welcome | Brisbane Airport

Transcript

Gert-Jan de Graaff:Thank you, Claudia, for your kind introduction and for pronouncing my name in a way no Australian at Brisbane Airport can. Well done. And thank you, Baringa Baramba Mianginyu, from the Turrbal people, for your warm welcome to Country. Thank you very much. I too acknowledge the Traditional Owners and recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and sky. Well, this is something truly special. Welcome to the newest, shiniest, and most exciting edition of the CAPA Airline Leaders Summit. Welcome to the Star Events Centre here at Queen's Wharf. This precinct opened just 14 days ago, making us among the first to experience its conference centre, skydeck, restaurants, and the mattresses for those staying in the hotel. I'll be honest, as host of this Leaders Summit with cranes and construction workers all over this building even just a month ago, and knowing that you already had booked your flights, I was a bit, a little bit nervous. But my congratulations and thanks to the star CEO Daniel Finch and his team for getting this place ready for us today, and it looks fantastic. It's so good to have over 450 aviation leaders, or should I say aero-sexuals, from 31 carriers and 22 countries in this room, and to have you here in Brisbane for the second year running. What you need to know about this $3.6 billion Queen's Wharf precinct is that this is just a start. It's a stage opening. Every time you or your airline guests return, right up until 2030, there will be something new to experience. More hotels, more restaurants, more bars, and more surprises. We wanted to host you here to give you a taste of what bold Brisbane has to offer. This is our paradise, but you're most welcome to share it. As you know, Brisbane will be the host for for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games. What you might not know is that Queensland aims to grow its tourism industry to $44 billion by the same year. What this means for airlines is more passengers, more opportunities, and an awakening demand from around the world for travel to Brisbane. It's why American Airlines launches services here from Dallas-Fort Worth next month. It's why Delta Air Lines launches flights here from Los Angeles in December. And later today, Delta's Jeff Mumai will tell you why Brisbane is Delta's second destination in Australia. Part of that reason may be connectivity. From Brisbane Airport, we connect to 62 destinations within Australia. That's more connections than any other Australian airport. Brisbane Airport is also the hub for the Pacific. Brisbane has the fastest capital city growth rate in Australia. And from a business travel perspective, it hosts mining companies, agriculture, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. For airlines, this means even more opportunity. For Brisbane Airport, this means big responsibility. We need to be ready for those extra passengers, from 22 million passengers today to 22 million when the Olympics and Paralympics are here. That's why we're spending $5 billion over the coming decade across Brisbane Airport, and it's why we're planning for a new terminal. We're not investing for the Olympics, we're investing by the Olympics. Our upgrade of the, of the domestic terminal is already underway, and today I'm about to share with you the first look at the transformation about to take place in our international terminal. It will include security and passport control moving location from Level 3 up to Level 4, that's the check-in level, in a sun-filled atrium. A revolutionised check-in area and a new backdrop system. The largest deployment of RebiScan security screening equipment into an airport in Southeast Asia. Duty-free space that will almost double in size. There's new food and beverage and retail options all across the terminal, and we'll install charging stations to transform ground 110 million passengers have travelled through the International Terminal since it opened 29 years ago. You're about to see what the next 110 million passengers will experience. Thank you, Gert-Jan. A big thank you to our project team, many of whom are here today. Thank you for having the courage to create the future of Brisbane Airport today. This animation is just the easy part. Now we have to build the bloody thing. But my brief to the project team was clear. Do you remember this song? Don't worry. Don't worry, be happy. Our vision for the passenger experience. Everything must be designed around giving our passengers a stress-free and enjoyable journey. So, to those in this room, my message is also clear. If you are a current airline or a traveller, bear with us. We can't shut the terminal down to do this work. We'll continue seeing up to 75,000 passengers a day. But please be patient. We're working to minimise disruption, and I promise the wait will be worth it. And to those airlines in the room who don't yet fly to Brisbane, This is my message. We're creating a space for you. Brisbane is ready for you. Your passengers are waiting to discover Brisbane and Queensland. There's a place here for you. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending the CAPA Airline Leaders Summit Australia Pacific 2024 here in Brisbane. CAPA welcomes you. Brisbane Airport welcomes you. Queensland welcomes you. We hope you learn, network, and enjoy our city. Thank you.

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