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Meet Melissa Taggart – one of the captains driving the Future BNE transformation at Brisbane Airport.
The gateway to the Sunshine State, operating 24 hours a day, Brisbane Airport is currently the third largest airport in Australia by passenger numbers. With Queensland’s expected population growth in the next 10 years, annual passengers at BNE will grow from 20 million in 2023 to 30 million by 2032.
To prepare for the future, Brisbane Airport’s Infrastructure and Planning Team has begun a 10-year program that will transform our terminals, services, facilities and passenger experience.
The to-do list of our Project Teams is not for the faint of heart, with more than $5 billion of investment planned over the coming decade. This program, known as Future BNE, includes a third passenger terminal, extensive refurbishment of the existing Domestic and International terminals, and upgrades to the latest generation security technology ... just to name a few.
Domestic passengers will enjoy 10 new and refurbished food and beverage outlets with direct access from the Skywalk to check in for carry-on-only baggage. The International Terminal upgrade will offer a new retail experience including an expanded duty-free offering. Both terminals will undergo simplified check-in and a new security screening process, allowing passengers to leave most of their items in their luggage.
Our Project Team's objective is to ensure a seamless renovation process whilst minimising disruption to the thousands of passengers flooding through the doors daily. Senior Project Managers, Heidi Stone and Mohaned Elgubbi share insights into their day-to-day balancing the renovations with business-as-usual operations.
As the key liaison between stakeholders, Heidi states that her role includes “understanding project requirements, driving sustainability, inclusive design and developing a public art strategy.
“The majority of my day is spent dealing with stakeholders as well as contractors and consultants to problem solve and manage the day-to-day of the project,” said Heidi.
Coming from a background in critical infrastructure projects, Mohaned shares how he became part of the BAC team “I've built my career by working in critical infrastructure projects such as delivering hospitals. I've always thought working on hospitals was a rare opportunity as there aren’t many per state, but really, how many major airports would you see in one state? So, when this rare opportunity came up, it was definitely something that got me interested.”
Similar to Heidi, Mohaned is frequently in discussion with contractor Lendlease, design consultants, baggage handling experts and all staff stakeholders; all whilst planning how to fit two kilometres of conveyor belts throughout the terminal.
“It’s akin to…running a marathon and undertaking heart surgery at the same time,” said Mohaned.
Constantly receiving updates from consultants and contractors, our Project Managers keep the renovations on track, whilst ensuring the airport remains operational with as minimal interference in everyday activities as possible.
“The baggage handling system that we have here behind the scenes looks like a roller coaster. What we need to do is upgrade all of that while we keep all the systems running for our passengers to use,” said Mohaned.
Heidi explains how the upgrades will make a big difference to the airport experience, “We're building a new mezzanine to accommodate the new equipment. The terminal is also 40 years old. It has a lot of aging infrastructure that requires upgrading. We will also have a direct connection from the Skywalk to the terminal, elevating the passenger experience. Also, expect lovely new finishes and a new interior in the terminal.”
“Backed by a stellar team, Heidi and Mohaned are excited to elevate Brisbane Airport into a world-class passenger experience, becoming an “amazing piece of infrastructure for all Queenslanders and our guests to use,” says Mohaned.
“This is just one of many projects that will create a world-class passenger experience,” says Heidi.
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