Sunshine Coast Airport is celebrating the opening of Relay, the first new retail store within its $170 million terminal redevelopment. The milestone is the first step in the largest investment in food and beverage, travel essentials and specialty retail in the airport’s history.
Sunshine Coast Airport CEO, Chris Mills said the opening represents the beginning of a significant transformation of retail, dining and service offerings within the terminal.
“Relay is the first new venue to open as part of a major transformation of the airport experience and provides a glimpse of what’s still to come.
“It’s exciting to see the new Relay travel essentials store now open, offering passengers a wide range of products for their journey while also showcasing locally sourced Sunshine Coast products.
“This store, and those still to come, will give travellers an authentic taste of the Sunshine Coast from the moment they arrive, while creating valuable opportunities for local businesses and producers.
“This is just the beginning of a broader retail vision that will see future stages of the terminal redevelopment deliver a dedicated Discover Sunshine Coast experience, celebrating the products and businesses that make our region such a sought-after destination.
“We want the Sunshine Coast story to begin the moment passengers walk through our terminal,” Mr Mills said.
Lagardère AWPL CEO Costa Kouros said opening the new store is a key step in the Airport’s transformation.
“Welcoming travellers into the very first Relay store at Sunshine Coast Airport is a fantastic milestone for our team. This marks the first of eight new retail and dining concepts we will deliver in partnership with the airport.
“We’ve designed this modern space around what travellers need on the move, combining everyday travel essentials, fresh food and coffee, health and beauty and a carefully curated collection of local, national and global offerings.”
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the opening of Relay was another exciting step in enhancing the experience for the millions of visitors who travel through Sunshine Coast Airport year on year and reinforces our region’s opportunities to create local-to-global connections.
“Providing travellers with access to locally made products from the moment they arrive, or before they depart, helps showcase the unique character of the Sunshine Coast and supports local businesses to reach new markets.
“Whether it’s a gift, something to eat or a piece to treasure, having local products on show is a wonderful addition to the area.”
“This investment aligns with the goals of our Regional Economic Development Strategy, which seeks to build a stronger, more resilient economy by leveraging our region’s local enterprise, creating jobs and enhancing our reputation as one of Australia’s most desirable places to visit, live and do business.”
Local producer Troy Wainwright, Managing Director of Maleny Chocolates, said they were thrilled to be stocking their items in the new store.
“We’re extremely happy with our partnership with Lagardère AWPL. Through Lagardère, Maleny Chocolate has been able to reach thousands of travellers passing through Sunshine Coast Airport, many of whom may be discovering our products for the first time.
“Whether they’re looking for a taste of the region to take home as a gift or simply something special to enjoy on their journey, being part of the airport retail experience introduces our brand to a much broader audience and allows travellers to take a little piece of the Sunshine Coast with them.”
Sarah Leonard, International Sales Manager at Nutworks, said the opportunity to showcase their products at the airport was a gamechanger.
“Nutworks has always been about the journey from our growers’ orchards – real, honest produce grown and made with care right here on the Sunshine Coast, the Heart of Macadamia Country.
“Our partnership with Lagardère AWPL at the airport gives that journey a much bigger reach. Suddenly we’re not just connecting with our local community and visitors who seek us out, we’re reaching travellers from every corner of Australia and the world, many of whom are tasting Nutworks for the very first time.”
Future venues are set to include a new all-day dining outlet, a coffee house, a burger and beer outlet, and for the first time, a dedicated self-serve dessert bar.
The remaining new restaurants and retail outlets will be opened in a phased approach as part of the terminal expansion, with all expected to be in operation by late 2027.
ENDS-
For more information contact:
Amira Vaatstra – Corporate Media and Communications Manager
M: 0438 132 939
amira.vaatstra@sunshinecoastairport.com.au
or
media@sunshinecoastairport.com.au
(07) 5373 1901
About Sunshine Coast Airport
Sunshine Coast Airport (the Airport) is the gateway to the Sunshine Coast and one of Australia’s fastest growing airports. The Airport directly connects the Sunshine Coast community to domestic and international destinations; Adelaide, Auckland, Singapore via Bali, Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney and is supported by five airlines; Air New Zealand, Alliance, Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia.
Our core markets of Sydney and Melbourne continue to be our most popular route with more than 80 flights per week. Passenger numbers have steadily increased by 10 percent year on year with 1.8 million passengers overall projected in 2026. By 2030, the number of passengers is projected to grow to 2.4 million.
In July 2023, the Airport was declared a Priority Development Area, with a new Development Scheme taking effect in September 2024. As part of the new development scheme, the first development area – the Gateway Precinct – was approved in November 2025. Permitted development includes a hotel, retail expansion, childcare, medical, shopping and other services. The Gateway Precinct is a core part of our strategy to deliver a modern world-class airport that will unlock significant benefits for the region and open-up commercial opportunities for the airport as it grows.
In October 2025, the Airport began its $170 million terminal redevelopment which is set to create a larger terminal with double the footprint to support the future of our airport and the region. The terminal upgrades will include 50 percent more retail food and beverage offerings, departure lounge expanding by three times in size (from 1250sqm to 3750sqm) and a 40 percent increase in airline capacity with two new gates. The first stage of the terminal redevelopment was completed in February 2026, with the opening of the new state-of-the-art outbound baggage facility. The new facility includes major infrastructure upgrades to streamline baggage handling processes from check-in to aircraft.
By 2040, it is estimated the airport will directly contribute $460 million to Australia’s GDP. Jobs created on airport are forecast to grow to 2,400 by 2040 and support a total of 3,438 direct and indirect jobs.
Sunshine Coast Airport Pty Ltd operates and manages Sunshine Coast Airport, the gateway to the Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions, under a 99-year lease from Sunshine Coast Council which commenced in December 2017.
