Planning for Economic Development around a Second-Tier Airport: A Case Study of Gold Coast Airport

Airports were once focused almost entirely on moving passengers and freight, but their role has expanded dramatically. Advances in aircraft technology, industry deregulation, privatisation, and the growth of non‑aviation activities on airport land have transformed airports into complex economic actors. Yet planning scholarship has paid relatively little attention to how airports — especially second‑tier, non‑capital city airports — contribute to local and regional economic development.

This doctoral research examined those opportunities and constraints through a case study of Gold Coast Airport. Using spatial analysis, fieldwork, interviews, policy review and literature analysis, the study investigates how a privatised airport spanning two states and two LGAs can shape regional economic outcomes.

Gold Coast Airport has generated substantial economic benefits, but these benefits have been concentrated largely on the Queensland side of the border. Limited collaboration with New South Wales agencies, combined with weak cross‑border planning and funding arrangements, has constrained more balanced regional outcomes. Existing planning frameworks acknowledge the airport’s economic role but lack the strategic and statutory mechanisms needed to leverage it across jurisdictions.

The key argument is that planners must adopt a genuinely regional perspective when working with airports. A regional approach enables more equitable distribution of economic benefits, strengthens cross‑border cooperation, and unlocks broader financial and policy support — ultimately positioning airports as catalysts for development at both local and regional scales.