Yes, Gold Coast Airport (OOL) has three outdoor designated smoking areas around its single terminal — at the northern end of the terminal, along the northern car park walkway, and in the southern forecourt — each fitted with butt bins. Smoking is landside only, before the security screening point.
Smoking Areas at Gold Coast Airport
Gold Coast Airport (also known as Coolangatta) runs a single three-level terminal that handles domestic and international flights side by side after its 2022–2024 southern expansion. All three smoking areas sit outside the building, so you smoke before you clear security:
Designated Outdoor Areas:
- Northern end of the terminal — outside the northern doors, at the far end of the departures frontage.
- Northern car park walkway — alongside the path linking the car park to the terminal on the northern side.
- Southern forecourt — the kerbside forecourt at the southern end, near arrivals.
Each spot has bins for butts; dispose of them there rather than on the ground, as fines apply for littering and for smoking outside the marked areas. The locations are shown on the airport’s sensory terminal map. Because the areas are landside, allow yourself time to smoke before joining the security queue — once you are airside there is nowhere to light up until you reach your destination.
The single terminal is compact, so all three areas are a short walk from the check-in and departures hall. If you are being dropped off, the southern forecourt area sits right by the kerb, and the northern car park walkway area is convenient if you are collecting a hire car or parking.
A Note on the State Border
The airport’s runway famously straddles the Queensland–New South Wales border, but the terminal itself stands on the Queensland side at Coolangatta, so Queensland’s smoke-free rules govern the whole passenger building. That includes a 5-metre no-smoking buffer around every entrance, so use the marked areas and keep clear of the doorways.
Vaping at Gold Coast Airport
Vaping is allowed in the same three outdoor designated areas and nowhere else in the terminal — under Queensland law e-cigarettes are treated identically to tobacco. Note that nicotine vapes are prescription-and-pharmacy-only across Australia, so do not expect to buy them airside.
Transit and Connections
OOL is a point-to-point leisure gateway rather than a hub, so most travellers arrive or depart rather than connect. If you are transiting with time to spare, step out to one of the three landside areas and re-clear security before your onward flight. Smokers on a longer domestic itinerary through Queensland can use Brisbane’s Level 3 Smoking Balcony after security — Brisbane is the only Australian airport with an airside smoking facility.
Summary
| Detail | Gold Coast Airport (OOL) |
|---|---|
| Indoor smoking | No — terminal is smoke-free |
| Airside (after security) | No airside smoking area |
| Outdoor designated areas | 3 — north terminal end, north car park walkway, south forecourt |
| Vaping | Same rules as smoking; outdoor areas only |
| Governing rules | Queensland (5 m entrance buffer) |
For Australia-wide airport smoking rules, the vape ban, and other general info, see our Australia smoking guide.