<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History of Gold Coast International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">Until 1989, the airport was known as Coolangatta Airport.This is an Aboriginal word meaning "Place of Good View".</p>
<p class="blog-para">It originally consisted (1936) of three grass strips with the intention of only providing an emergency landing ground for airmail aircraft transiting between Brisbane and Sydney. Passenger flights took off for the first time in 1939 using the then grassy field of the current Coolangatta site. Regular services were started by Queensland Airlines and Butler Air Transport after the Second World War. Ansett started its own services in 1950 using DC-3s, while Trans Australia Airlines did the same in 1954 using DC-3s, too, as well as DC-4s and Convairs to link other Australian cities.</p>
<p class="blog-para">By 1958, the taxiways and runways were fully paved, with the latter upgraded a decade later to allow jet operations with DC-9 and L-188 Electra aircraft to begin. The current terminal, known as the Eric Robinson Building, was officially opened in 1981 by Acting Prime Minister Douglas Anthony, when at the time more than 650,000 passengers were using the airport. The following year, the main runway was lengthened to 2,042 m (6,699 ft), thus permitting the use of wide-body jets by the two domestic operators Ansett Australia and Trans Australia Airlines and their Boeing 767 and Airbus A300 respectively on flights from Melbourne and Sydney.</p>
<p class="blog-para">2010 saw Jetstar announce the airport as its newest hub, increased services to Cairns and new direct services to Perth (discontinued in 2013) and Queenstown. Tiger Airways also announced their newest base at Avalon Airport in Geelong, and said that services from Avalon to the Gold Coast would commence later in the year; however, services to Adelaide would be cut due to delays in receiving new aircraft which were intended for their new Avalon base. On 26 October 2010, Gold Coast Airport was named the 2010 Major Airport of the Year 2010 by the Australian Airports Association (AAA).</p>
<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3">Transportation from Gold Coast International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para"><strong> Road: </strong>The airport is located on the western side of the Gold Coast the terminal is 300 metres from the highway. The Gold Coast Highway passes through all the coastal suburbs of the city and is the most direct route to most of the major holiday destinations on the Gold Coast.The Pacific Motorway (M1) interchange is 1.5 km south of the airport.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The Pacific Motorway connects the city to northern New South Wales, western suburbs and Brisbane City.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong> Public bus:</strong> All bus services are provided by Surfside Buslines.</p>
<p class="blog-para">Route 777 (northbound) - Broadbeach South light rail station via Gold Coast Highway. This service is a limited stop, express service only. From there, passengers can connect to other bus services and the link.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong> Airport shuttles:</strong> There are a number of private operators offering transfers between Gold Coast Airport and Brisbane. Scheduled transfers are available for arriving and departing passengers.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong> Train: </strong>The Gold Coast City Transport Strategy 2031 includes an extension of the link light rail to the airport, while the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program envisions extending the Gold Coast Line train line to the airport as well. As of 2019, neither has been approved to begin construction.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100 " title="History of Gold Coast International Airport" src="../../../main/img/airport/gold/1.webp" alt="History of Gold Coast International Airport"></p>