(L-R) John Zeckendorf, Sarah Mort, James Mort & Richard Barker
03 September 2026
SkyHaven has reached another major milestone, with construction now officially underway following the project’s ground-breaking ceremony at Cairns Airport on 3 September 2026. Stage 1, comprising 98 rooms, is now in the construction phase, with completion expected within 18 to 24 months.
This milestone reflects the strength of the project’s positioning, with SkyHaven described in the press release as the first short-term accommodation development at Cairns Airport and the first majorprivate-sector commercial accommodation development to break ground in Cairns in eight years. The project is also supported by pre-committed long-term accommodation demand linked to the region’sexpanding hospital precinct and tourism market.
(L-R) John Zeckendorf (Principal Mandala Asset Solutions) Sarah Mort (Co-Director MiHaven Constructions), Tony Neale (CBA), James Mort (Co-Director MiHaven Constructions) & Richard Barker (CEO Cairns & Mackay Airports)
The ground-breaking ceremony brought together key project stakeholders, including Cairns Airport, MiHaven, Mandala Hotels & Resorts and Commonwealth Bank of Australia as key lender. We are proud to share that over 90 per cent of the equity raised for the project was sourced from the business network of Cairns and the local region, reinforcing the project’s strong local backing.
SkyHaven remains a landmark development for Cairns, combining tourism and business-travelaccommodation with workforce housing support tied to the hospital precinct expansion. Mandala’shotel management expertise is expected to underpin the project’s long-term operational performanceonce the property opens.