Brisbane airport flying high with new runway – The Weekly Times

Lengthy delays at Brisbane Airport will be a thing of the past after its new $1.1 billion parallel runway opened today.
Airport capacity will soar from 50 flight movements an hour to 110 – putting it on par with Sydney, Changi in Singapore and Hong Kong airports.
The new parallel runway gives Brisbane the most capacity and the most efficient runway system in Australia, which means Brisbane Airport is well positioned to take advantage of all opportunities post-COVID.At this stage, Brisbane has not received any repatriation flights bound for Melbourne.
Brisbane Airport Corporation boss Gert-Jan de Graaff said the runway was more than a slab of very expensive asphalt.
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“When I look at that 3.3km stretch of runway, I see hope,” he said.
“Brisbane is in an ideal position to take advantage of all opportunities on the road to
recovery from COVID.
“Today we are making history … and very soon, once again, we will be connecting the world.”
The $1.1 billion privately-funded project employed more than 3740 people during its construction phase.
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Virgin flight VA781 takes off for Cairns from the new parallel runway at Brisbane airport. Picture: Peter Wallis
After a turbulent start to the year as home carrier Virgin Australia’s finances plumetted due to coronavirus travel bans – flight VA781 had the honour of making the first departure.
Piloted by Captain John Ridd and First Officer Troy Parker, the plane flew to Cairns to highlight the connection to the state’s regions.
A crowd of about 200 people, including 10 local plane spotters who had won a prized place at the event, watched on as vintage planes spiralled through the sky in an aerobatics show to celebrate the World War II airfield’s rich history.
A sealed time capsule containing today’s Sunday Mail newspaper and items donated by schools, politicians, and the public will be stored on display at Brisbane’s Kingsford Smith Memorial until it is opened in 2070.
Originally published as Brisbane flying high with new airport runway

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