Virgin Australia has officially unveiled its first lounge in Cairns, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to enhancing travel to the destination for leisure and corporate guests.

Located on the upper level of the Cairns domestic airport, the 710m² lounge offers dedicated areas to relax, refuel and work, including business facilities, entertainment options and a Luke Mangan designed buffet.

The space has been designed to encapsulate Virgin Australia’s contemporary look and feel, offering sweeping views of the tarmac and the hinterland. Taking inspiration from the tropical environment, the lounge features timber privacy screenings, floor to ceiling glass windows to maximise sunlight and vibrant colour accents through the soft furnishings.

Virgin Australia General Manager of Brand Strategy David Anderson said: “Cairns was one of the first destinations we started flying to and it remains a very strong focus for us today.

“Attracting more than 2.3 million visitors annually, it is one of Australia’s most popular leisure destinations and an important link to regional Queensland. With 78 services per week, we are pleased to offer the greatest number of flights of any one airline between Brisbane and Cairns.

“We have transformed the travel experience to Cairns with the introduction of Business Class on all jet flights, bringing competition for the first time in over a decade. We are now delighted to open the doors to our first lounge in Cairns, allowing us to offer a seamless end-to-end journey.

“We remain committed to bringing choice to travellers throughout Queensland and we look forward to launching our new service between Cairns and Weipa next year, bringing much needed competition to a currently regulated route”, Mr Anderson said.

Cairns Airport Chief Executive Officer Kevin Brown said: “Virgin Australia is a key aviation partner for Cairns Airport and we have worked closely with them on the development of the lounge. It represents one of the most significant additions within T2 since the $200M terminal redevelopment project was completed in 2010.

“Virgin Australia’s strong commitment to our destination is well demonstrated by the range of routes and number of services they operate into and out of Cairns Airport”, Mr Brown said.

Virgin Australia operates ATR-72, Embraer E190 and Boeing 737 aircraft on Cairns services from Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, and Townsville.

The lounge seats 180 guests and features:

• Luxury lounge seating in a contemporary interior design;
• Australian chef Luke Mangan designed menu and refreshments including an all-day barista service;
• A meeting room, which seats 6-8 people;
• A premium selection of wine and beer;
• Business services including complimentary WiFi, power, PC and printer;
• Entertainment and relaxation with newspapers, premium magazine titles; and a high-definition television featuring FOXTEL and free-to-air programming

¹Tourism and Events Queensland