Rockhampton Airport Statistics

Published 15 July 2026 · Updated 8 Sept 2026

Rockhampton Airport (ROK) is Central Queensland’s main regional airport and the primary air hub for the Rockhampton metropolitan area. It connects the region to destinations across Queensland and other parts of Australia through multiple partner airlines.

How many passengers pass through Rockhampton Airport each year?

Rockhampton Airport handles over 600,000 passengers annually.¹

The airport served 642,777 passengers in 2025, a 2% decrease from 655,886 in 2024.
In 2019, before the pandemic, the airport recorded 571,543 passengers.
Traffic fell sharply to 275,771 in 2020 (a 52% decline) due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Passenger numbers began to recover with 400,082 in 2021, 484,711 in 2022 and surged to 632,783 in 2023.

Bar chart of annual passenger volume at Rockhampton Airport, 2017–2025, peaking at 655.9K in 2024. — Annual passenger numbers at Rockhampton Airport, 2017–2025.

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

Rockhampton Airport records about 9,000 to 10,000 regular public transport (RPT) aircraft movements annually.¹

In 2025, there were 9,187 RPT aircraft movements, a 5.9% decrease from the previous year.
In 2019, the figure stood at 9,371.
Movements declined to 5,529 in 2020, the lowest point during the pandemic, reflecting a 41% drop.
Recovery followed with 7,463 movements in 2021, 7,687 in 2022 and a peak of 9,933 in 2023 before easing slightly to 9,768 in 2024.

Bar chart of annual aircraft operations (RPT only) at Rockhampton Airport, 2017–2025, ranging 5,529 to 9,933. — Annual regular public transport (RPT) aircraft movements at Rockhampton Airport, 2017–2025.

Which airlines operate the most flights out of Rockhampton Airport?

Rockhampton Airport’s public airline information currently lists Qantas and Virgin Australia as passenger airline operators.²

QantasLink appears to be the largest operator, flying mainly on the Brisbane route using Dash-8 Q400 turboprops and jet aircraft.
Virgin Australia is the second-largest carrier, operating Boeing 737 services on the Brisbane route.

What are the monthly trends in passenger traffic at Rockhampton Airport?

Passenger traffic at Rockhampton Airport shows clear seasonal trends, with spring and mid-year months typically busier.¹

July was the peak month in 2025 with 59,632 passengers.
October followed with 59,539, and May reached 57,151.
September recorded 56,356 and August had 56,095.
The slowest month was January with 46,862 passengers, followed by February (47,189) and March (48,534), aligning with post-holiday slowdowns.

Bar chart of monthly passenger traffic at Rockhampton Airport in 2025, ranging 46.9K in January to 59.6K in July. — Monthly passenger traffic at Rockhampton Airport, 2025.

How many routes are there at Rockhampton Airport?

Rockhampton Airport offers regular domestic passenger flights within Queensland, including Brisbane, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.
The airport is internationally-capable for charter and military flights, which are occasionally used for overseas deployments and exercises.

Which destinations are the most popular from Rockhampton Airport?

Brisbane (BNE) is the busiest scheduled destination from Rockhampton Airport, with approximately 350 monthly flights.
Mackay (MKY) is the second-busiest destination, with over 50 scheduled monthly flights.

Note: Flight frequencies are approximate and may change due to airline timetable updates, seasonal schedule changes, operational requirements or cancellations.

On-time performance at Rockhampton Airport

At Rockhampton Airport, overall on-time performance was 73% for arrivals and 76% for departures on BITRE-reported routes.¹
QantasLink had the best arrival and departure punctuality, with 77.3% of arrivals on time and 81.6% of departures on time.

Rockhampton Airport On-time Performance (2025)AirlinesOn Time Arrivals (%)On Time Departures (%)
QantasLink77.381.6
Virgin Australia68.470.1
All Airlines73.076.0

Airlines	On Time Arrivals (%)	On Time Departures (%)
QantasLink	77.3	81.6
Virgin Australia	68.4	70.1
All Airlines	73.0	76.0

What are the main causes of flight disruptions at Rockhampton Airport?

Delayed inbound flights from Brisbane, which can cascade into delays at Rockhampton.
Severe weather, especially summer storms between December and March.
Aircraft maintenance issues, although these are uncommon due to the reliability of Q400 and 737 aircraft.
Airline operational problems like crew scheduling or aircraft positioning, particularly during the 2022 industry recovery.
Brisbane air traffic control delays, which can affect regional services, though Rockhampton itself rarely experiences local ATC congestion.

What are the notable incidents at Rockhampton Airport?

August 2014: A Fairchild SA227 freight aircraft rejected takeoff at Rockhampton after an out-of-trim warning and heavy control feel. ATSB linked the event to loading/centre-of-gravity factors and an inaccurate stabiliser trim indication.³ No injuries or aircraft damage were reported.

References

Australian Airports Traffic Data · bitre.gov.au ↑ b c d
Rockhampton Airport — Airport Guide: Airlines · Rockhampton Airport ↑
Incident at Rockhampton Airport (AO-2014-140) · atsb.gov.au ↑