Australasian hubs primed for growth, Airbus says

Airbus expects strong traffic growth in the South Pacific market will continue over the next 20 years, increasing the number of Australasian hubs ranked in the largest global categories. There are currently three cities in the region which Airbus classifies as aviation “mega-cities” with more than 10,000 long-haul passenger movements per day, said Iain Grant, the company’s VP for Pacific sales. These three are Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and Auckland in New Zealand. Melbourne and Sydney are actually in the 20,000-plus category. By 2036, Airbus estimates that Melbourne and Sydney will both have more than 50,000 daily passenger movements, and Auckland will move into the 20,000-plus category. In addition, Australian cities Brisbane and Perth will also have more than 20,000 daily movements by then. The annual passenger total at the five largest Australian cities is set to double to 180m by 2036, Airbus forecasts. The total for the three largest New Zealand cities is expected to rise to 38m over the next 20 years, an increase of 15m.<br/>