Brisbane Airport’s Bold Future New US routes, $5 billion revamp & India’s direct flight aspirations

On the sidelines of the CAPA Summit, talking to Associate Editor of Australia India News

Kriti Bhardwaj, Brisbane Airport's Peter Doughty reveals a $5 billion renovation and new US flights, while Dan from VietJet discusses growing demand and customer service focus. Tim Thomas from the Centre for Australia India Relations highlights future initiatives and support for Australia-India connections.

Kriti: I'm joined by Peter Doughty representing Brisbane Airport. Welcome Peter. Good to be with you. Today we are covering all the events at the CAPA Summit

which is the aviation summit and I'm excited to find out from your point of view as a media person for Brisbane Airport, what is the most exciting thing that you're looking forward to in the next maybe a year and five years from Brisbane Airport?

Peter Doughty: There's a lot happening at Brisbane Airport right now. We have a lot of new airlines coming on board. American Airlines starts next month with flights from Dallas to Brisbane. That will be their longest route in the world and also Brisbane's longest route, so we know that will attract

lots of attention. We've also got Delta Airlines, another US major carrier about to launch flight in December into Brisbane from Los Angeles, plus a number of other new route announcements. So a lot of growth is happening in terms of new communities, and new destinations, which we love because it connects more communities. But we're also undertaking a really big building program right now. We're spending $5 billion. We're renovating the domestic terminal. Today we revealed we're renovating the international terminal and that's going to

make a whole bunch better customer service for travellers coming through Brisbane. And we're also planning for a future third terminal because we know population growth is continuing. Brisbane, this city here, is growing very fast. Many people are moving to Brisbane, and that means more travellers, and that means more flights; so we're looking to build a third terminal to serve this beautiful city.

Kriti: It's amazing just to see what a growth journey Brisbane's on. And representing the Australia India News, I would love to know your journey in terms of

the travellers from India, what your experience has been at the Brisbane Airport, and if there's any specific plans for connectivity of direct flights, which is a petition that's ongoing at the moment as well. So what's the hope for Brisbane Airport?

Peter Doughty: Firstly, before we get to the hope, the reality is the number of people travelling from India to Brisbane is growing dramatically. So this past year that's just ended in June, there were 126,000 people from India who flew to Brisbane. That's 13% more than last year, and it's way more than pre-COVID. So

this is a very busy market, and it's growing each year. We also know that those travellers aren't flying direct because there isn't currently a direct service. Many are coming via Singapore; some are going via Vietnam, and lots of other creative ways to get here.

So you asked me about our hope. Our hope is that we will have direct flights to India. We know the community here wants that. We know there is a big business community growing in Brisbane that's Indian-based. Of all the trade that occurs in Australia with India, 68% of that happens with Queensland. So this is a really an important market. So not just for family, not just for friends, not just for travel, but for business, we would certainly love to see direct flights. And Brisbane Airport is talking to lots of partners. We do it regularly. We travel to India. We meet with people here. That's happening this weekend at this conference. So our aspiration is the same as the community's aspiration. It's something we want to see. But as we heard this morning, at the moment there's a shortage of aircraft. So when they're ready to say we'd like to come to Brisbane, we're ready to receive them, and we'll generously support them. So we have the same goal.

Kriti: That's impressive to hear, particularly the numbers that you've just mentioned; 68% of trade in Australia coming from Queensland. But putting it back to the visitor lens of people that come to Brisbane, whether from India or around the world, what would you say are your top three destinations out of Brisbane in Queensland?

Peter Doughty: So we know when people land in this city of Brisbane, they check out Brisbane, but they're also keen to head a little bit north and a little bit south. And just an hour south of Brisbane is the Gold Coast. So you see spectacular beaches, high-rise along the beach, a wonderful lifestyle. And we know lots of people who are coming from India are actually travelling to the Gold Coast. Some are going north to the Sunshine Coast, a little more laid-back, not so much high-rise, a bit chiller. They might be checking out Australia Zoo and checking out some of our wildlife. And some are going to North Queensland; further north, to experience the Great Barrier Reef, one of the true wonders of the world. So they're arriving in Brisbane, they're not just staying in Brisbane, they're spreading out. So I'd say Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and the Barrier Reef would be three things to put on your bucket list to do.

Second interview

Kriti: I'm joined by Dan, representing VietJet. Welcome, Dan. VietJet being now increasingly a popular airline, with a lot of connectivity, what is it that you were looking to get out of the summit this week?

Dan: So, it's our second year representing VietJet at CAPA, and it's a wonderful event for bringing the whole aviation community together with a particular focus on the Australian market, which is terrific and needed. In terms of our connectivity, the Brisbane market is performing extremely well for VietJet as an Australian gateway to Vietnam and then onwards to the Indian gateways as well. We've seen a huge demand increase and growth over the last 12 months, and it's wonderful to see. For the Indian diaspora in Brisbane particularly, there's a lot of interest, and what we see is demand for stopover in Ho Chi Minh and maybe beyond for a quick holiday or their forward journey to India.

Kriti: Well, that's amazing to hear. I have experienced Vietjet quite recently, actually this year. I did not take the opportunity of stopping over, so that's obviously fantastic to know for our viewers to consider Vietnam for the next holiday, particularly to break the trip onwards to India or back. But in terms of the market, it's a fairly competitive system, aviation has always been competitive, more so than ever. Very pricedriven, but also at the same time, I think people are very sensitive of their experiences as well for longer journeys. So, how does Vietjet position itself apart from competing on price?

Dan: Sure, that's a terrific question. So, with Vietjet, in the Australian market, we pride ourselves on customer service. When I talk about customer service, it's from throughout the sales cycle and throughout the whole customer experience. So, the time a customer and our passengers will come to purchase the ticket, whether directly or with a travel agent, our team in Australia is Australian-based, and we are there for the passenger and the travel agent community across Australia to help make sure that their trip is optimized in Vietjet as much as possible.

Kriti: Thanks, Dan. And in terms of airline partnerships, is there any major reason that Vietjet already has partnerships with or envisions to?

Dan: At this point in time, in the Australian market, no. It's definitely in scope, keeping in mind that we've only been operating in Australia since last year. So, it's still early days for us, and we're definitely open to considering and looking at partnership opportunities across the whole sector.

Kriti: Well, it's great to know that you guys have achieved so much in just a year of operating in Australia. I'm sure I am personally going to fly with Vietjet again in the future. And, Dan, thank you so much for your time today.

Kriti: Hello, Tim. I've heard a lot about you as the CEO of Centre for Australia-India Relations. So thank you for your time. Tim, the first question I would like to ask you, how have you found the aviation summit so far?

Tim Thomas: Thanks, Krithi. Thank you for the opportunity. Look, I think the CAPA is an interesting global event, so I think it's always good to support Brisbane when it's hosting global events. But obviously, we're very interested to understand what can be more in terms of aviation links between Australia and India. That will, of course, help on trade and investment and for the diaspora and their needs. So obviously, we're here to support that.

Kriti: Thank you, Tim. And also, I think a great opportunity for us to learn more about your organization as well, which I'm sure has been around for a while. So I'd love to know what are your top challenges and maybe priorities for the upcoming year, and what can we look forward to?

Tim Thomas: So the center is the federal government's center of gravity on all of the efforts to uplift the relationship with India. So we look at it from an economic lens, from a diaspora lens, from a public policy lens, a cultural and sports lens. So some of the priorities, we have a very large matri program- grants program that will be launched later this month, and that will be supporting scholarships, fellowships, business research grants, cultural ties, sporting ties. So that's a big priority for us. The matri program has started off really well. Another priority is the summer of cricket. So we're going to be doing something with the Queensland government here in Brisbane around the Gabba test, on the sidelines of the Gabba test, around activating business linkages and cultural and tourism linkages with India.

Kriti: Awesome to know, Tim. And what do you think about this brand new venue that we're at, the Star Brisbane?

Tim Thomas: Obviously much awaited. It is impressive, isn't it? It's a beautiful facility and very much needed, I would say, great timing for Brisbane to have a convention center of this nature.

Kriti: Thank you so much, Tim, for your time, and I hope that we get to catch you again, hopefully in Brisbane or around the country.