Brisbane International Airport (BNE) opened on 19 March 1988, when Prime Minister Bob Hawke formally inaugurated the new facility on land reclaimed from the swampy margins of Moreton Bay. 14 million cubic metres of sand dredged from the bay were used to stabilise the ground. The move relocated aviation operations roughly 5 kilometres from the original Eagle Farm Aerodrome, which had served Brisbane since 1925 and saw its final departure the day after the new airport opened. Construction had begun in 1980 at a cost of $400 million, and the timing was deliberate: the airport needed to be ready for World Expo '88, which brought an international surge of visitors to the city.

The International Terminal followed in September 1995, designed by Bligh Voller with a purposefully light-filled, subtropical aesthetic. It was delivered four months ahead of schedule and under budget. A $340 million expansion of that terminal was unveiled in December 2008 to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft and growing passenger demand. The airport's most significant infrastructure project since opening was the new parallel runway, which commenced operations on 12 July 2020 after eight years of construction and a $1.1 billion investment, one of the largest aviation construction projects ever undertaken in Australia.

Today, BNE ranks as Australia's third-busiest airport, handling more than 22 million passengers in 2024. It is a hub for Qantas and Virgin Australia, with Jetstar, Alliance Airlines, and Rex Airlines also basing operations here. The domestic terminal connects to over 60 destinations within Australia, while the international terminal links Queensland to destinations across Asia, the Pacific, and North America. The airport covers 2,700 hectares, making it one of the largest by land area in Australia, and sits at the centre of a precinct undergoing a $5 billion transformation ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.