Griffith Regional Airport Statistics

Published 15 July 2026 · Updated 8 Sept 2026

Griffith Regional Airport (GFF) is the main airport serving the Griffith region in New South Wales, Australia. It connects the Riverina’s agricultural base to Sydney and supports regional transport with turboprop services operated by Rex Airlines and QantasLink.

How many passengers pass through Griffith Regional Airport each year?

Griffith Regional Airport handles approximately 65,000 to 77,000 passengers each year under normal operating conditions.

The airport served 73,892 passengers in 2025, a 9.2% increase from the previous year.
In 2019, the airport recorded 76,715 passengers, the highest annual total in its recent history before the pandemic.
Passenger traffic dropped sharply to 22,685 in 2020 (a 70% decline) as the pandemic hit, then rose to 27,076 in 2021 (a 19% increase) as domestic travel restrictions began to ease.
Recovery accelerated in 2022 with 67,664 passengers (a 150% increase), nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels, and rose to 71,917 in 2023 before dipping slightly to 67,649 passengers in 2024.

Bar chart of annual passenger volume at Griffith Regional Airport from 2017 to 2025 — Annual passenger volume at Griffith Airport, 2017-2025.

What is the total number of aircraft operations at Griffith Regional Airport each year?

Griffith Regional Airport sees around 2,500 to 4,900 commercial Regular Public Transport (RPT) flights annually.

In 2025, there were 2,619 RPT aircraft movements, reflecting a 1.9% increase from the previous year.
In 2019, aircraft movements reached 4,845, the highest level in recent records.
Movements dropped to 1,679 in 2020 (a 65% decrease) and stayed low at 1,676 in 2021 during the height of pandemic travel restrictions.
Recovery continued with 3,474 movements in 2022 (a 107% increase), followed by successive declines to 3,262 in 2023 and 2,571 in 2024.

Bar chart of annual aircraft operations (Regular Public Transport) at Griffith Regional Airport from 2017 to 2025 — Annual aircraft operations at Griffith Airport, 2017-2025 (Regular Public Transport only).

Which airlines operate the most flights out of Griffith Regional Airport?

Two airlines currently serve Griffith Regional Airport, with market share fairly evenly divided following the start of competitive services in 2021¹.

Rex Airlines operates multiple weekday return flights to Sydney using 34-seat Saab 340 turboprop aircraft.
QantasLink operates a daily service to Sydney using 50-seat Dash 8 Q300 aircraft, adding capacity and competition on the route.

What are the monthly trends in passenger traffic at Griffith Regional Airport?

Griffith Regional Airport sees seasonal fluctuations linked to agriculture, school holidays and local events, although monthly data is not officially published.

April and October are typically the busiest months due to Easter holidays, autumn harvest-related travel and spring tourism including wine festivals.
December sees high demand from holiday travel as residents fly to Sydney and visitors arrive for summer events.
July also sees a bump due to school holidays, despite it being winter.
February is usually the quietest month, reflecting post-holiday travel lulls and the region’s summer heat.
June also sees reduced demand before the winter school holiday period begins.

How many routes are there at Griffith Regional Airport?

The airport currently serves 1 scheduled nonstop destination, Sydney, as the secondary route to Melbourne ceased in 2022.

Sydney (SYD) is served by Rex Airlines and QantasLink, offering 15-18 Griffith-to-Sydney departures per week².
A secondary route to Melbourne (Essendon) operated briefly by Sharp Airlines from mid-2019 to March 2022 with 2 weekly flights but has since ceased.
There are no international routes, and all services are domestic within Australia.
The network mainly supports business travel linked to agriculture and wine, as well as medical and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel to Sydney.

Which destinations are the most popular from Griffith Regional Airport?Sydney, NSW (SYD) is the sole scheduled destination currently in operation, carrying 100% of commercial traffic.

How much cargo does Griffith Regional Airport handle annually?

Griffith Regional Airport handles limited cargo, mostly carried as belly freight in passenger aircraft operated by Rex and QantasLink.

Cargo volumes tend to follow passenger flight levels, peaking during high-frequency periods and dropping during service reductions.
Freight mostly consists of mail, documents, agricultural samples and urgent parcels for the regional community.

What are the main causes of flight disruptions at Griffith Regional Airport?

Morning fog during winter (June to August) can lead to delays or diversions until visibility improves.
Air traffic congestion at Sydney Airport, which often affects inbound and outbound flights at Griffith.
Pilot and crew shortages, especially impacting Rex between 2022 and 2024, have caused occasional cancellations³.
Aircraft mechanical issues can cause significant delays since spare aircraft are limited on regional routes.
Summer thunderstorms can disrupt flights in Sydney, though Griffith itself usually experiences good flying conditions thanks to its dry inland climate.

What are the notable incidents at Griffith Regional Airport?

August 1964: A Tiger Moth biplane (VH-BVT) from the Griffith Aero Club was destroyed by fire while parked. The aircraft was unoccupied and no injuries were reported⁴.
February 2016: An agricultural Air Tractor struck a power line during crop spraying and landed safely with minor damage. No injuries were reported⁵.

References

Airlines from Griffith Airport - Griffith City Council · griffith.nsw.gov.au ↑
Routes from Griffith Airport (GFF-SYD) · flightsfrom.com ↑
Pilot and crew shortages impacting Rex Airlines · abc.net.au ↑
Aviation Safety Network · aviation-safety.net ↑
Aerial application safety 2015-2016 · atsb.gov.au ↑
Australian Airports Traffic Data · bitre.gov.au