by Mat Churchill

An incredible 2.5 billion people travelled by air in 2009, but this figure will soon be dwarfed as an estimated 3.3 billion passengers are set to take to the skies by 2014.

The International Air Transport Association's forecast showed that China will lead the way, attributing a quarter of the 800 million growth to the new super power.

So how will this growth affect our region? The Newsport spoke with Cairns Airport's chief executive officer, Stephen Gregg to find out more.

The Newsport: With the growth in China, do you expect Cairns to continue its push to attract new airlines?
 
Stephen Gregg: Cairns Airport Pty Ltd (CAPL) is in continued discussions with airlines on opportunities that will add capacity and new routes for Cairns. China is a market with enormous potential for this region.

The Chinese New Year charters which have operated for the past several years bring thousands of Chinese here and many more arrive on domestic flights.


TN: Where are you at with negotiations with Chinese airlines, and others, and increased services?
 
SG: We already have direct Cathay Pacific services from Hong Kong, which became daily in November last year. Negotiations with other carriers are continuing. China Southern introduced a direct service into Brisbane late last year and that is being closely monitored as they assess opportunities for other arrival points into Australia.

This year China Eastern Airlines made its first landing in Cairns during Chinese New Year and we would welcome their continued presence here. We continue to negotiate with airlines to secure a non-stop service from Singapore.
 
TN: Who are the main players when conducting negotiations with airlines, and what are some of the challenges they face?
 
SG: CAPL works closely with tourism partners such as Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Tourism Queensland and Tourism Australia in negotiations with airlines so that all aspects such as tourism wholesaling and logistics are also taken into account.

Negotiations will be undertaken with airlines, tourism wholesalers and government representatives to reach agreement. We also work with partner airports such as Auckland Airport to leverage opportunities across both airports.


TN: Will there be a shift in the type of traveller to Cairns? For example, from leisure to business or events.
 
SG: Leisure travel is the segment that is most rapidly and deeply affected by global impacts such as the global financial crisis, epidemics, airline safety incidents, perceived or real disruptions due to natural disasters and so on.

Business and events travellers are less influenced by these types of factors. As Cairns develops its business and sports tourism offers we will attract more travellers who are coming here for a specific purpose. These travellers often bring others along with them when they travel and tend to have a higher level of expenditure.