As an early Christmas present the Federal Government has approved a $181 million concessional loan for the Sunshine Coasts International Airport.
The Sunshine Coast Council has undertaken an expressions of interest process to identify its preferred partner.
The announcement of the partner is expected before Christmas.
With commencement starting early 2017, the project will generate $4.1 billion in economic benefit to the region from 2020-2040.
The new runway will accommodate aircrafts the size of an Airbus A330 or a Boeing 787 and with international status granted it
means Customs and Border Patrol have also been budgeted for.