General News
15 June, 2026
Tropical spotlight
SHOWCASING local products will be a prime consideration as Cairns Airport launches a major retail tender for the first time in 10 years.
The wide-ranging Request for Tender (RFT) relates to many sites within Cairns Airport’s international and domestic terminals, offering more than 2500sqm of retail and dining space, including pop-up areas.
It follows a $55 million redevelopment project which transformed the international terminal into a modern space with improved retail, dining and seating areas.
Cairns Airport chief executive officer Richard Barker said highlighting Tropical North Queensland would be an important factor.
“Ours is a unique, dynamic and picturesque destination with a distinctive identity,” he said.
“We are seeking partners who can create compelling retail and dining offers that reflect the character of our region while providing the options, quality and variety expected in a leading travel retail environment.”
Mr Barker said the airport handled an exciting mix of passengers, with longer waiting times and some of the best performing spending rates at Australian airports.
He said a newly-created “central dwell zone” gave passengers a clear view of retail outlets at the international terminal, while there were a few select tenancies in the domestic terminal.
At the international terminal there are:
Retail concessions, including emporiums, boutiques and pop-ups, totalling 600sqm
Food and beverage concessions, more than 400sqm across multiple sites with options for hybrid retailing and optional licensed seating areas
Departures and arrivals duty free concession, totalling 1000sqm.
At domestic there are:
Specialty retail concessions, totalling 275sqm
Landside food and beverage concession of 228sqm.
International passenger figures at Cairns Airport have recovered to levels not seen since 2008, with direct flights to Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Bali, Port Moresby and Fiji along with a strong domestic network covering capital cities and regions throughout Australia.
Interested parties can contact Alicia Prince at retail.admin@cairnsairport.com.au
