Concert economics met aviation reality in northern Tasmania this weekend as a sold-out Foo Fighters show at UTAS Stadium triggered the busiest day in Launceston Airport’s 95-year history. Airport data released on 15 February show 6,880 passengers transited on 23 January, with Virgin Australia adding 1,700 ad-hoc seats and Qantas/Jetstar a further 3,000 to cope with demand.
The influx capped the airport’s ninth consecutive month of record growth and pushed January throughput past 160,000 passengers. Hotels booked out within 45 minutes of the concert announcement, and local hospitality venues reported shoulder-to-shoulder trade, injecting an estimated AUD 7 million into the regional economy.
![Foo Fighters Gig Delivers Record Day for Launceston Airport and Puts Tasmanian Event Tourism on the Map]()
For global-mobility and travel-programme managers, the spike underscores how one-off events can strain regional air capacity and drive up last-minute fares. Several corporates flying field engineers to Bell Bay industrial projects reported fare surcharges of 40 per cent and warned that crews had to route via Sydney instead of Melbourne due to seat shortages.
Whether you’re sending concertgoers or corporate crews to Tasmania, VisaHQ can streamline pre-trip planning by securing Australian visas quickly and handling group documentation in one dashboard—saving precious time when flights are already scarce. Learn more about the service at https://www.visahq.com/australia/
Tasmanian tourism officials say the case strengthens arguments for charter slots and more flexible curfew exemptions during major events. Launceston Airport has hinted at infrastructure upgrades, including a second security line and larger apron bays, to handle future peaks. Companies with operations in Tasmania are advised to lock in 2026–27 event calendars early and negotiate group allocations with carriers to avoid repeat cost blow-outs.
The influx capped the airport’s ninth consecutive month of record growth and pushed January throughput past 160,000 passengers. Hotels booked out within 45 minutes of the concert announcement, and local hospitality venues reported shoulder-to-shoulder trade, injecting an estimated AUD 7 million into the regional economy.
For global-mobility and travel-programme managers, the spike underscores how one-off events can strain regional air capacity and drive up last-minute fares. Several corporates flying field engineers to Bell Bay industrial projects reported fare surcharges of 40 per cent and warned that crews had to route via Sydney instead of Melbourne due to seat shortages.
Whether you’re sending concertgoers or corporate crews to Tasmania, VisaHQ can streamline pre-trip planning by securing Australian visas quickly and handling group documentation in one dashboard—saving precious time when flights are already scarce. Learn more about the service at https://www.visahq.com/australia/
Tasmanian tourism officials say the case strengthens arguments for charter slots and more flexible curfew exemptions during major events. Launceston Airport has hinted at infrastructure upgrades, including a second security line and larger apron bays, to handle future peaks. Companies with operations in Tasmania are advised to lock in 2026–27 event calendars early and negotiate group allocations with carriers to avoid repeat cost blow-outs.
