Hong Kong-based LCC Oasis has been in talks with Gold Coast Airport to establish cheap direct flights that will see fares between Hong Kong and Australia drop to AUD$350 return.

With an extended runway opening on March 15, there will be a likelihood of long-haul flights arriving at Gold Coast Airport. The possibility of this will be discussed when Gold Coast Airport management and Asian airline executives meet next month.

“With a bigger runway, we see a new era for us and it will certainly give the city a major push,” said Gold Coast Airport boss Paul Donovan. “And as far as direct flights from Asia, it’s not a matter of it, but when. And I believe it will be sooner rather than later.”

“We want them flying into here. In three weeks, we will be briefing all the major airlines in Asia on what we now have to offer, including Oasis.”

Donovan has commented that he has been currently talking to airlines from Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Hong Kong, Japan and the Middle East. If this were to be successful, these flights will feed the demand that continues to grow, and this can be seen by the numbers of arrivals in the area in the recent years.

“We’ve grown from 300,000 passenger arrivals in 1996 to 3.6 million last year and the growth patterns for the next 10 years will be just as strong.”