I am not a fan of PAPL given the way they drag their heels on every dollar spent and are still holding out on the parallel runway to 03/21 however to me this smacks of Q trying to bully PAPL and the Australian government once again, more CIQ staff would be required to suit Q commercial operations.
Hello, the international terminal is just that, go there, the domestic phase out on "Airport West" is in the master plan.
When all is said and done Q have not announced they intend to fly this route, all that AJ has said is that the aircraft is capable, this smells like smoke and mirrors.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says 787-9 configured for ultra long-haul | Australian Aviation
Edit to add: Just like the rest of our capital city airports. If you fly Cairns - Brisbane or Newcastle - Sydney you would expect to change terminals, partly due to CIQ.
The $25-45 million would be better spent on a fast connection road (one exists) or a monorail link.