Emerald Airport (EMD)

Departures from Emerald Airport (EMD) at a glance

• 11flights a day30th busiest of 111 airports
• 1route from here
• 2airlines
• 08:40 – 20:20first and last00061218

Collected 12 October 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.

Emerald Airport (EMD) is 6 kilometres south of Emerald's town centre, on the Gregory Highway in the Central Highlands of Central Queensland. Central Highlands Regional Council owns and operates it. Qantas and Virgin Australia run its regular passenger flights, and direct flights are recorded to Brisbane.

The airport also handles general aviation, medical evacuation flights, rental car operations and aircraft refuelling. Emerald is the central business area of the Central Highlands region, a three-hour drive from Rockhampton and nearly 900 kilometres from Brisbane.

Direct domestic flights recorded from Emerald Airport

Direct domestic flights recorded from Emerald Airport go to:

Destination	Airlines recorded
Brisbane	Qantas, Virgin Australia

Flights to Brisbane land at Brisbane Airport (BNE). For flight times, delays, cancellations and anything left on board, the council directs passengers to the airline: Qantas on 13 13 13 and Virgin Australia on 13 67 89. Questions about the airport itself go to the council on 1300 242 686 during business hours.

Queensland does not observe daylight saving, and nor do Western Australia and the Northern Territory. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory do.

Check-in and security screening at Emerald Airport

The council asks passengers to arrive at Emerald Airport an hour before scheduled departure, and says check-in closes at least 30 minutes before departure.

Virgin Australia's guide to the airport says its counters are staffed from 90 minutes before until 30 minutes after its flights, for bookings and changes.

Security screening applies to all regular passenger flights at Emerald Airport. Under the Australian Government's TravelSECURE guidance, screening is compulsory, you cannot choose how you are screened, and screening officers have the final say on whether an item can be carried on board. The Government's limits on liquids, aerosols, gels and certain powders apply when you leave Australia, when you transit through Australia from one country to another, and on the domestic leg of a flight leaving from an Australian international terminal.

Inside the terminal at Emerald Airport

The Airport High Fly Cafe is in the Departures Lounge, selling sweet and savoury food, coffee and cold drinks, and it is licensed. It takes electronic funds transfer at point of sale (EFTPOS) payments only, so no cash, and the council lists it as open Monday to Friday, serving regular passenger flights.

Virgin Australia's guide to the airport lists toilets, including accessible toilets, throughout the airport, and baby change rooms and cash machines within the terminal, with baggage carousels in the arrivals hall. It also says Virgin Australia guests who need assistance can be escorted to and from the gates, and that its baggage services are at the check-in counters.

Getting to and from Emerald Airport

There is no local bus service in Emerald. The council's website links to its Disaster Dashboard for emergency updates and road closures.

Taxis

The council lists Emerald Taxis, on (07) 4982 1600. Virgin Australia's guide places the taxis outside the terminal.

Car hire

Rental car companies the council lists as operating from Emerald Airport include Budget and Hertz. Virgin Australia's guide puts the car hire desks inside the terminal, and the airport has its own rental car car park.

Parking and drop-off

Emerald Airport has a short-term car park closest to the terminal, a long-term car park on the south-eastern side of the airport, and a rental car car park. To drop off or collect passengers, follow the signs to the drop-off zone inside the short-term car park.

Fees apply in the long-term car park. Pay at the automatic payment machines on site with cash or EFTPOS, and press the HELP button on a pay station for payment problems or a lost ticket.

General aviation at Emerald Airport

A general aviation parking apron has lighting and aircraft tie-down facilities, and aviation fuel is available from Shell Aviation. General aviation users must not enter the regular public transport (RPT) Security Zone. After hours, questions about general aviation parking or other aircraft matters go to the Airport Reporting Officer on 0408 194 913.

The council also manages aircraft landing areas at Capella, Dingo, Duaringa, Rolleston and Springsure.

Recent works and plans at Emerald Airport

The council says the airport has had a runway upgrade, a terminal expansion and better parking in recent years. Its list of completed projects includes resurfacing the main runway, taxiway and apron bays, rebuilding the general and eastern aviation apron and the refuelling area, and expanding the general aviation apron.

The council adopted the Emerald Airport Master Plan at its January 2026 meeting, to guide how the airport grows to meet the region's future passenger, freight and technology needs. Ideas raised in consultation included better parking, covered walkways and preparing for electric aircraft, and the short-term implementation plan runs over five years.

In March 2026 the council said construction of an aeromedical patient transfer facility at the airport was scheduled for completion later that year. Its design includes an aircraft drive-through covered area, for patient transfers between aircraft and ambulances in any weather.

Emerald and the Central Highlands

Tourism and Events Queensland describes Emerald, established in 1879, as the hub of the Central Highlands. The council lists agriculture, including beef, grain, cotton, grapes, melons, nuts and citrus, and coal mining among the region's industries.

In town, the tourism body points to the Van Gogh sunflower painting at Morton Park, the National Trust listed Emerald Railway Station (built in 1900), a fossilised tree at the Emerald Town Hall, and Lake Maraboon for fishing and water sports.

Tourism and Events Queensland calls Emerald the gateway to one of the largest sapphire fields in the southern hemisphere. The gemfields towns of Anakie, Rubyvale and Sapphire are about an hour west of Emerald, and Rubyvale has the Miners Heritage Walk-In Mine. The council also names the Blackdown Tablelands and Carnarvon Gorge in the region.

Questions about Emerald Airport

How early should I arrive at Emerald Airport?

The council asks passengers to arrive an hour before scheduled departure. The council says check-in closes at least 30 minutes before departure.

Is there a bus from Emerald Airport into Emerald?

There is no local bus service in Emerald. The ground transport the council lists is Emerald Taxis and the rental car companies at the airport.

Which airlines fly from Emerald Airport?

Qantas and Virgin Australia run the regular passenger flights at Emerald Airport, and direct flights are recorded to Brisbane.

Can I take liquids through security at Emerald Airport?

The Australian Government's limits on liquids, aerosols, gels and certain powders apply when you leave Australia, when you transit through Australia from one country to another, and on the domestic leg of a flight leaving from an Australian international terminal. Security screening applies to all regular passenger flights at Emerald Airport. Screening officers have the final say on what can be carried on board.