Sunshine Coast Airport’s new car rental centre has opened, with the aim of alleviating congestion within the terminal and providing visitors with a more welcoming experience.
The $3.5 million project involved relocating the car rental customer desks from inside the terminal into two new purpose-built modular structures.
There are 230 car rental bays now ready for vehicle pick-up and drop-off, with eight desks representing 11 car rental brands in the two modular buildings.
Airport general manager aviation and commercial Scott Norris said the project was necessitated because of the airport’s recent growth.
“Sunshine Coast Airport has seen unprecedented passenger growth over the last 12 months and this has presented us with many exciting opportunities and challenges,” he said.
“Our new car rental centre is a $3.5 million project that forms part of our ongoing work to improve facilities and infrastructure here at Sunshine Coast Airport.
“We’ve relocated car rental customer desks from inside the terminal into two new purpose-built modular structures by local builder Saltair Modular, helping us open up valuable space in the terminal arrivals hall, and provide visitors to the Sunshine Coast with a more seamless and welcoming experience when renting a car.
“These new modular buildings are completely unique and designed with our customers in mind, providing a beautifully landscaped garden and waiting area by DISC Landscapes, creating a fitting welcome and goodbye for those visiting from other locations.
“We have already seen some of our out-of-town passengers enjoying the waiting area and relaxing after their flight.
“As the buildings are modular, it also meant they could be built off site, greatly reducing the build time and allowing for the site to be prepared ahead of time, with Shadforth commencing construction in April and completing it in October.”
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Mr Norris said rental car pick-up and return was previously located in front of the main terminal and contributed to congestion at kerbside drop-off and across the airport precinct, which could become challenging during peak times.
“By relocating to the new location, we are able to reduce congestion, free up space in front of the terminal for kerbside drop-off and pick-up, and provide more parking options closer to the terminal,” he said.
“The space opened up inside the terminal arrivals hall has created more space and seating options for arriving passengers and their welcoming parties to help them relax or grab a coffee after their flight.
“With record passenger numbers passing through our terminal, this is an important step to help lay the foundation for long-term future works and the Sunshine Coast Airport project team have done a tremendous job.”
Mr Norris said directional signage across the airport precinct had also been updated, modernising and refreshing different elements to make it easier for passengers, visitors and staff when navigating the airport.
“As part of this update, we have renamed some of our car parks, with ParkTerminal changing to ‘Short Term’, ParkCovered to ‘Covered’ and ParkSaver to ‘Long Term’, better reflecting their purpose for customers,” he said.
“Apart from our popular new Long Term car park, other locations remain the same. However, each car park will be designated a distinctive Sunshine Coast-inspired colour.
“This is a simple but effective change and is one of the ways we are making improvements across the airport.”
Mr Norris said he was unable to give an update on plans to expand the main terminal.
“There is no update on the terminal expansion as we are still in the planning stages, but we will have some exciting announcements in 2024,” he said.
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