Canberra Airport will open the second wing of its revamped terminal in mid-March as the airport's ambitious 'AirVolution' upgrade nears completion.
Airport spokeswoman Jane Seaborn confirmed March 13 as ribbon-cutting day for the second stage of the airport's slick terminal revamp, following the late 2010 opening of the southern concourse used by Qantas.
The ground-up rebuild of the terminal's western concourse will be home to Virgin Australia, which plans two lounges for the capital city hub, along with regional airlines.
It will also be home to international flights with space set aside for customs, immigration and quarantine facilities.
However, Seaborn told Australian Business Traveller that this fitout won't take place until international services are ready to begin.
Air New Zealand is already in discussions with the airport over possible flights to Auckland or Wellington.
Air NZ's Australia general manager Cam Wallace predicted that direct Canberra services will happen "at some stage" and flagging a tentative timeframe of 12 to 18 months, according to a report in trade journal Travel Today earlier this month.
Canberra Airport managing director Stephen Byron previously told Australian Business Traveller that Singapore and China are other likely destinations, with Canberra acting as a de facto second airport for Sydney.
The terminal's new western concourse wing will equipped with five additional aerobridges – all air-conditioned and built with floor-to-ceiling glass – a doubling of the passenger screening area, and 12 additional check-in counters to meet current and future demand.
The southern and western wings will be joined by a soaring three-storey glass atrium with a view of the runway as well as the landscaped gardens in front the terminal.
"Unlike other airports, where you see check-in counters as you enter, passengers at Canberra Airport will be welcomed by views of the waiting aircraft" the airport boasts.
Other improvements rolled out as part of the $450m investment include upgraded runways and aprons capable of handling an Airbus A380, multi-level car parks, an indoor taxi rank and a two level dual-lane roadway.
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
06 Dec 2012
Total posts 170
Am looking forward to seeing what the new Virgin Lounge will be like, have been impressed so far with the progress at the airport, should be good when it is all finished an up and running. Be interesting to see over the next 12 to 24 months what direction international flights take out of Canberra!
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
23 May 2012
Total posts 268
Looks really new and slick! Can't wait for its opening! I am more interested in Virgin's new lounge.
01 Jan 1970
Total posts 0
If Canberra is to be Sydney's de facto second airport, there would need to be some means for connecting people from Canberra Airport to Sydney without having to backtrack to Kingston for the train or Jolimont for a bus.
Asiana Airlines - Asiana Club Diamond
24 Aug 2012
Total posts 15
im sure businesses will work that out.
Qantas
10 Sep 2011
Total posts 162
There is a spot for a train station. Somebody just needs to build a track from Queanbeyan. I wonder if catching a train to Canberra Airport be cheaper for outer suburb Sydneysiders than the train to the Sydney Airport
25 Feb 2013
Total posts 1
Proposal is for Canberra to be Sydney's de facto second airport only with Sydney Canberra high speed rail connectivity with just 50 mins travel time.
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