More than 8.4 million people passed through Queensland Airports Limited’s (QAL) four airports in 2018 – holding steady on the prior year.

This is despite reduced airline capacity, which has impacted the group’s two largest airports.

It comes after the airports – on the Gold Coast and in Townsville, Mount Isa and Longreach – recorded a collective decline of 4.7 per cent in passenger numbers in December.