Launceston Airport January passenger numbers take off

The Tasmanian Liberal Government welcomes the news that Launceston Airport passenger numbers have now surpassed a pre-pandemic record.

It's been a January to remember at

Launceston Airport as a whopping 159,032 passengers made their way through the terminal, eclipsing the previous monthly record set in January 2019 on 150,189.

Liberal Member for Bass, Michael Ferguson welcomed the record but wasn’t surprised by the ongoing success of the Launceston Airport.

“It’s the true gateway to the North and recent upgrades have made passenger travel through the terminal smoother and smoother,” he said.

“Congratulations to Shane and the team for the exceptional passenger experience that they are providing for both locals and tourists alike.

“I am looking forward to seeing further continued growth at the Airport and look forward to checking out the new upgrades when they are done.

“Backing in projects like these is a key part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future which aims to grow the State’s visitor economy, support businesses and local jobs.”

The highest ever monthly passenger total, January’s passenger numbers eclipsed the airport's previous monthly record of 150,189 set in January 2019.

Despite cost-of-living pressures passengers are still prioritising travel with the airport also setting a new daily passenger record with 6,114 passengers coming through the airport on the 2 January 2025, which marked the first day in the airport's history it had handled more than 6,000 passengers.

Launceston Airport CEO Shane O'Hare said the airport was planning for future records and growth with a suite of infrastructure upgrades planned.

“We are investing more than $100 million over the next five years to upgrade infrastructure in the terminals and on the airfield to accommodate our growing passenger numbers at the same time as enabling our airlines partners to expand," he said.

“These results highlight the demand for tourism in the State and also the desire for more direct connections to the mainland, with strong two-way demand and average load factors on seasonal direct services frequently exceeding 90 per cent.

“In the last five years we’ve transitioned out of a pandemic and into one of the biggest growth periods in the airport's history which is an incredible achievement and one which positions us as one of the best performing airports in the country.

“It’s our job now to harness these numbers and continue to grow our network to provide our passengers and exporters more choice."