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Category: Air Transport / Regional Development

Gold Coast Airport to spend $300m on upgrades

Sunday, 6 Mar 2016 08:23:06

The upgrade will help cater for thousands of Commonwealth Games athletes, delegates and spectators. (Supplied)

Construction is about to begin on a $300 million upgrade of the Gold Coast Airport ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The development includes construction of a new three-storey international terminal and four aerobridges.

The expansion will cater for thousands of athletes, delegates and spectators expected to arrive for the games in two years' time.

Gold Coast Tourism chief executive Martin Winter said it was vital the airport made a good impression.

"It's absolutely critical that the arrival experience and departure experience is as smooth as possible so both Brisbane and Gold Coast Airports are critical to that," he said.

Security will also be beefed up during the event.

Gold Coast Airport's chief operating officer Marion Charlton said a number of agencies would be working together to keep everyone safe.

"We'll have federal police, customs, immigration, quarantine and ourselves," she said.

"So it's not any one company delivering this, it has to be team work."

A large glassed atrium and high viewing platform are part of the airport redesign plans Photo: The new and improved airport will create a vital first impression, Gold Coast Tourism says. (Supplied)

In July last year, a man drove a stolen car into the airport's domestic terminal.

Ms Charlton said security had since been upgraded to prevent a similar incident.

"You always learn from things that happen, you'd be crazy if you didn't," she said.

"After that event we put some bollards and things in to make sure that can't happen again."

The airport is looking at other ways to ensure the Games are a smooth event, including allowing athletes to check in at the village to save time and reduce congestion.

"We have the technical ability to do that so that would take all that impost away," Ms Charlton said.

"It would mean the athletes could arrive here, go straight through and their bags would already be taken care of."

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