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Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP)
Departures from Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP) at a glance
- 8flights a day41st busiest of 111 airports
- 4routes from here
- 3airlines
- 10:10 – 16:35first and last
Collected between 11 October 2026 and 12 October 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.
Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP) is the airport at Proserpine, on the Queensland mainland, and it serves Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Region. It is on Lascelles Avenue at Gunyarra, south of the town of Proserpine. Whitsunday Regional Council owns the airport and runs it as a commercial business unit of the council.
The terminal is open seven days a week, from two hours before the first departure until the final flight, and the airport cannot take travellers overnight. Buses and shuttles connect the airport with Airlie Beach and Port of Airlie, and the airport also lists taxis, rideshare and hire cars.
The terminal at Whitsunday Coast Airport
Check-in counters, the departures hall, passenger and checked baggage screening and baggage collection are in the terminal building, according to the council's 2024 Master Plan. The same plan says an expansion completed in late 2019 essentially doubled the size of the terminal, and it lists arrivals booths leased to rental car and ground transport operators, and airline offices.
Food and shops at Whitsunday Coast Airport
The airport lists Taste Whitsundays for food and Gifts Whitsundays for locally sourced gifts and souvenirs. USB and power points were added to the departures lounge in the 2019 upgrade.
Check-in at Whitsunday Coast Airport
Check-in is at the airline counters in the terminal, so check the check-in cut-off time and baggage rules with your airline before you fly. Airline staff at check-in ask passengers about hazardous items, and the airport points to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for the rules on dangerous goods.
Security screening at Whitsunday Coast Airport
Passengers, friends and family have to be security screened before they enter the departure lounge. Carry-on items are X-rayed, including wallets, computers, hand-held devices and the contents of your pockets, and people pass through a body scanner or a walk-through metal detector, with random checks for explosives. The body scanners use non-ionising millimetre wave technology and show a generic human profile, and if a medical or physical condition may prevent you going through one, tell the screening officer.
Beverage containers of any kind, empty or not, are not to be carried through the body scanner or the metal detector. Only a sealed container, such as a flask or thermos, can be put through the X-ray, and a coffee cup with a lid does not count as a sealed container.
Cutting implements and sharp objects are prohibited in the cabin but may go in checked baggage. Take aerosols out and put them in a separate tray, and put bulky outerwear in a tray too; laptops and similar electronics may stay in your bag in a tray. Items surrendered at screening are not stored or sent back to you by the airline or the airport.
Refusing to be screened means you will not be permitted through the checkpoint, or to board your flight, for 24 hours. Unattended luggage may lead to prosecution. The steps are set out on the airport's safety and security page, which points to the TravelSECURE website for what can be carried through domestic screening.
Accessibility at Whitsunday Coast Airport
The terminal has a hearing loop, and disability parking spaces are in the first row of the public car park, directly opposite the terminal. For wheelchair help inside the terminal or when boarding, contact your airline. The airport gives out Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyards free of charge, requested by email at least 3 business days before travel.
A Kerbside Assistance Service is running as a pilot for departing passengers: staff bring a trolley or wheelchair to the kerb and help you to the check-in area, but they are not trained carers. It has to be booked by email at least 72 hours ahead, so contact the airport well before you travel. The airport says the service may be amended, suspended or withdrawn at any time.
Getting to and from Whitsunday Coast Airport
The airport is reached along Lascelles Avenue, and the council's Master Plan places it about 4.5 kilometres west of the Bruce Highway. Airlie Beach is off the Bruce Highway at Proserpine, along Shute Harbour Road.
| Option | Details |
|---|---|
| Whitsunday Transit | Bus to stops and accommodation in Airlie Beach, and to the Cruise Whitsundays Maritime Terminal at Port of Airlie |
| Airlie Airport Bus | Desk in the arrivals hall; shared shuttle or private transfer, door to door to Airlie Beach, Cannonvale, Jubilee Pocket and Mandalay |
| Other transfer companies | Named on the airport's list of bus and transfer operators |
| Taxi | 13CABS, 24 hours, booked by app or phone; Need a Ride Whitsundays, a booked-hire service |
| Rideshare | Uber and Shebah |
| Hire car | Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Redspot are among the companies on the airport's car rental page |
| Parking | Ticketless car park directly opposite the terminal; no booking needed |
| Drop-off and pick-up | Two-minute zone on the main entry road, opposite the terminal |
Buses and shuttles to Airlie Beach
Whitsunday Transit says it meets every arriving and departing flight at the airport and takes arriving passengers to stops and accommodation in Airlie Beach. It also stops at the Cruise Whitsundays Maritime Terminal at Port of Airlie, and its local timetable links Airlie Beach, Cannonvale, Jubilee Pocket, Shute Harbour and Proserpine.
Airlie Airport Bus has a desk in the arrivals hall and runs shared shuttles and private transfers between the airport and Airlie Beach, Cannonvale, Jubilee Pocket and Mandalay, door to door. It says it meets every Jetstar and Virgin Australia flight, and it lists Shute Harbour among its local transfers.
The airport's own list of bus and transfer companies also names Heart of Reef Shuttles, Airlie Beach Transfers and Tours, Whitsunday Transport Company, Bowen Travel, Travel Our Way Whitsundays and Hawkeye Mini Bus Charters. Whitsunday Transit also meets trains at Proserpine railway station, which is served by Queensland Rail's Spirit of Queensland.
Transfers to Port of Airlie and Shute Harbour
The airport says it offers transfers to the Shute Harbour Marine Terminal, which Whitsunday Regional Council also owns. Whitsunday Transit stops at Shute Harbour and at the Cruise Whitsundays Maritime Terminal at Port of Airlie, and Airlie Airport Bus lists Shute Harbour among its destinations. The Shute Harbour Marine Terminal has a designated drop-off zone, public parking and a bar and bistro inside.
Taxis and rideshare at Whitsunday Coast Airport
The airport lists 13CABS, which runs 24 hours and is booked by app or by phone, and Need a Ride Whitsundays, a booked-hire service. For rideshare it lists Uber, which it says runs 24/7 in the region, and Shebah, a ride-sharing service with women drivers.
Hire cars at Whitsunday Coast Airport
Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Redspot are among the companies on the airport's car rental page.
Parking and drop-off at Whitsunday Coast Airport
The car park is directly opposite the terminal, and bookings are not required for short or long stays. It is ticketless: the boom gate recognises your number plate on the way in, and on the way out you either tap a card at the boom gate, which displays the fee, or pay by cash or card at the pay station inside the terminal with your vehicle registration. Fees are worked out in 24-hour blocks, and the first 30 minutes are free.
The drop-off and pick-up zone along the main entry road, opposite the terminal, is limited to two minutes, and a vehicle left unattended there may be fined or towed away. For a longer farewell, the airport suggests using the free 30 minutes in the car park. Businesses can apply for a corporate parking permit by email.
Direct domestic flights recorded from Whitsunday Coast Airport
Direct domestic flights recorded from Whitsunday Coast Airport go to the places below, with the airlines recorded on each route. The airlines recorded are Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Skytrans, and each airline can tell you its own check-in and baggage rules.
| Destination | Airport | Airlines recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | Brisbane Airport (BNE) | Jetstar, Virgin Australia |
| Cairns | Cairns Airport (CNS) | Skytrans |
| Melbourne | Melbourne Airport (MEL) | Jetstar |
| Sydney | Sydney Airport (SYD) | Jetstar |
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory observe daylight saving. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not. Whitsunday Coast Airport, Brisbane and Cairns are in Queensland, Sydney is in New South Wales and Melbourne is in Victoria.
Bringing plants or soil into Queensland
Queensland's biosecurity laws restrict bringing certain plant material, soil and related equipment into the state. Business Queensland says that generally, moving these items into Queensland needs a biosecurity certificate, applied for through the authority in the state they come from. Some restrictions depend on where the items come from, and Victoria is among the origins on Business Queensland's list of restrictions, so check it if you are bringing plants or plant products from Victoria.
The inter-governmental Australian Interstate Quarantine site says there are restrictions on what you can take across state and quarantine borders within Australia, and that travellers face on-the-spot fines for taking prohibited items across borders. Everyone in Queensland has a General Biosecurity Obligation, and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service asks island visitors to check boats, clothing, footwear and gear for soil, seeds and pests before they go.
Wet weather and road access
On 28 March 2025 the airport posted that it was inaccessible because of a road closure on the Bruce Highway, asked people not to try to reach it, and told passengers with bookings to check with their airline. The council's Master Plan records that Cyclone Debbie in 2017 effectively shut the region down, and cites the Whitsundays Tourism Destination Plan's call for flood mitigation works on the Bruce Highway to maintain access to the airport.
After heavy rain, check the travel updates in the airport's Latest News and with your airline before you set out. On 12 January 2026 the airport posted a travel update saying it was open and operational.
Terminal expansion and works at Whitsunday Coast Airport
The council's September 2024 Master Plan says the terminal, doubled in late 2019, was once again at maximum capacity and that further expansion was required. It lists an apron expansion and a significant terminal extension as Priority 1 works, and says the concept may change with further engineering and architectural input.
The council's 2025/26 annual performance plan for the airport, dated 17 June 2025, lists the Priority 1 works (the Bay 1 apron, checked bag screening and the terminal expansion) alongside a runway overlay and a sewage treatment plant upgrade. It says projects will be brought forward if grant funding becomes available, and it sets no date for the terminal expansion.
An April 2025 airport notice said the council had begun preliminary works on a new sewage treatment plant at the airport, funded with the Queensland Government through Works for Queensland, and that construction of the plant was scheduled to begin later that year. The notice said the works would be managed to avoid disruption to airport operations.
Hamilton Island and its airport
The airport on Hamilton Island is Hamilton Island Airport (HTI), also known as the Great Barrier Reef Airport, and it also serves the Whitsundays. Cruise Whitsundays runs ferries from Hamilton Island to Airlie Beach and other island resorts. Whitsunday Coast Airport is on the mainland, with bus and shuttle transfers by road to Port of Airlie and Shute Harbour.
The Whitsunday Islands
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service describes the Whitsunday Islands as hilly islands formed when rising seas drowned an ancient coastal mountain range, and the national park lies within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Features of the park include walking tracks, camping areas, Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet with their white silica sand, coral cays and inshore reefs, and Ngaro Aboriginal rock art at Nara Inlet on Hook Island.
Wildlife in the park includes unadorned rock-wallabies, turtles, whales, sharks, rays and reef fish. The park carries warnings about crocodiles, marine stingers (jellyfish) and sharks, so read the current park alerts before a trip to the islands.
Questions about Whitsunday Coast Airport
Is Whitsunday Coast Airport the airport for Proserpine?
Yes. Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP) is on Lascelles Avenue at Gunyarra, south of the town of Proserpine.
How do I get from Whitsunday Coast Airport to Airlie Beach?
Whitsunday Transit and Airlie Airport Bus both run between the airport and Airlie Beach, and the airport lists other transfer companies, 13CABS taxis, Uber and Shebah. By road, Airlie Beach is off the Bruce Highway at Proserpine, along Shute Harbour Road.
Can I stay overnight in the terminal at Whitsunday Coast Airport?
No. The airport is unable to accommodate travellers overnight, and the terminal is open from two hours before the first departure until the final flight.
How do I get from Whitsunday Coast Airport to Port of Airlie and Shute Harbour?
The airport says it offers transfers to the Shute Harbour Marine Terminal. Whitsunday Transit stops at Shute Harbour and at the Cruise Whitsundays Maritime Terminal at Port of Airlie, and Airlie Airport Bus lists Shute Harbour among its destinations.
Do I need to book parking at Whitsunday Coast Airport?
No. Bookings are not required for short or long stays in the car park opposite the terminal, and the boom gate reads your number plate on the way in.
Can I take a coffee through security at Whitsunday Coast Airport?
Not in a cup. Beverage containers, empty or not, are not to be carried through the body scanner or metal detector, and a coffee cup with a lid does not count as a sealed container. Only a sealed container, such as a flask or thermos, can go through the X-ray.
Does the Whitsunday Region observe daylight saving?
No. Queensland does not observe daylight saving. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory do.