Gold Coast Airport is calling on volunteers from the Gold Coast and northern NSW to sign up for the new terminal expansion mass trial event in late August – with those interested encouraged to do so quickly. Gold Coast Airport Chief Operating Officer Marion Charlton said the mass trial was central to the operational readiness and training period that occurred before the terminal expansion was used by passengers flying in and out of the airport. “The mass trial is an important opportunity for us to fine tune our systems and processes,” she said. “A series of desktop trials, inductions and familiarisation activities are being staged now, as we lead up to this event.” Participants will be broken into various groups before acting as passengers in three different operational scenarios. Ms Charlton said the airport was keen to have the community and airport partners involved in the event, which was a key milestone for the terminal project. “Mass trials are rare and important events,” she said. “The terminal expansion is a game changer for Gold Coast Airport and we hope everyone involved will look back on the mass trial day as something special they were involved in. “But we expect there to be issues during the mass trial – not everything will run perfectly, so participants should be prepared for that. This is a learning opportunity for the airport team prior to opening the terminal expansion. ”Ms Charlton said there was a limited number of places available for the mass trial, encouraging anyone interested to sign up quickly. She said to adequately test this facility, the airport team was looking for a diverse group of participants. “We are hopeful we will have participants of all ages, cultural backgrounds and physical abilities involved on the day,” she said. The 30,000sq m terminal expansion includes four glass aerobridges, additional retail space, and new boarding facilities, a departure lounge, baggage handling and border control facilities. Free car parking and refreshments throughout the day will be provided for trial participants. Participants are asked to bring their passport on the day to be used as part of passenger scenarios during the trial and drivers licence details will also need to be provided prior to the mass trial. To register interest, please go to: expansion.goldcoastairport.com.au.