More direct flights to China and New Zealand from the capital could be on the cards by 2028, as Canberra Airport looks to grow.
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The airport revealed its 20-year master plan on Thursday, which laid out a wish list including more direct international flights, a new runway and increased freight capacity.
The plan comes as passenger numbers at Canberra Airport are set to rise from 3 million per year in 2020 to almost 9 million by 2040.
The airport's head of aviation Michael Thomson said 1 million of those passengers were expected to be international flyers.
"It's always been a vision of Canberra Airport to increase access to international routes for the region, and we've seen the success of Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines, and we want to look beyond that," Mr Thomson said.
"We're currently in discussion with a number of airlines, and the two markets we're focused on are China and New Zealand."
Mr Thomson did not say which airlines were currently in talks with Canberra Airport.
The plan said direct flights to Fiji, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai and Hong Kong were planned to operate by 2040.
The head of aviation said the airport was also looking to expand domestically.
Direct flights to Hobart, Darwin, Cairns and the Sunshine Coast have also been included in the master plan.
"We feel the Canberra market is underserved from international operators and underserved around low-cost carriers," he said.
"In those two, there'll be short to medium-term growth."
Daily flight numbers out of the airport are expected to double in the next two decades, up from 170 a day in 2020.
Mr Thomson said freight flights were also on the cards in coming years with the increase in cargo coming into the capital.
"We've got two freight operators at the airport now, and they were able to take some pretty significant tonnage before Christmas," he said.
"At the moment, that [cargo] is going in the belly of passenger planes, and in time that will lead to dedicated freight services."
An extra runway has also been touted as a future addition to the airport to handle the increased passenger numbers.
The master plan also lays out land for a potential light rail station should the public transport network expand.
"We're certainly supportive of that opportunity if light rail is designated to come here, we've already allocated space for it," Mr Thomson said.
The plan was formally signed off by the federal government earlier this month, and it's expected to be made public on March 5, following amendments from consultations.
ACT senator Zed Seselja said the growth of Canberra Airport in the next two decades would bring more work into the area.
"Since the privatisation in the 90s, Canberra Airport has gone from strength to strength," Senator Seselja said.
"The master plan sets out a number of proposed developments over the planning period, including a freight hub and the continued growth of the airport's business parks."
It's estimated the number of people working the airport precinct will grow from 14,000 to 36,000 within 20 years.
Mr Thomson said the airport would not sell off land to make way for more business park opportunities in the area.
Thursday's announcement of the master plan came after the airport revealed last week it would target regional residents in a bid to increase passengers.
International flights started at the airport from 2016.