Sydney Airport is gearing up for the arrival of 2.6 million domestic and international passengers as travellers kick off the holiday season next week.
As Sydney Airport prepares for the arrival of 2.6 million passengers to transit through its terminals from next week until 3 January 2024, the hub is forecasting a massive recovery in travel.
In a statement, the airport said that it expects 500,000 more domestic and international passengers compared to the same time last year, which is a 95 per cent recovery from the pre-COVID Christmas travel period in 2019.
Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton said, “While it’s great to see many Australians heading away on an overseas holiday, we’re also excited to welcome an influx of overseas visitors who are choosing to enjoy a summer getaway in Sydney.”
“International travel is booming and almost back to pre-pandemic levels [and] airline capacity is now back to full strength, or beyond, to many key international destinations including the United States, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam,” he remarked.
“This is the first Christmas holiday since 2019 that the border with mainland China is open, and demand is strong, with seat capacity back to pre-COVID levels as we head into 2024.”
Due to the influx of travellers, Sydney Airport is recommending domestic passengers arrive one hour prior for hand luggage only or two hours before departure for check-in luggage.
International passengers are recommended to arrive three hours before departure unless advised by their airline otherwise. Travellers driving to Sydney Airport and planning to park at the terminals are also advised to pre-book to guarantee a spot.
Australia’s T1 international terminal expects 1.1 million passengers during the holidays, up 34 per cent from last year. For T2 and T3 terminals, 1.5 million domestic passengers are expected to pass through its gates, which is 16 per cent more than last year.
New program to reduce bag wait times
To reduce wait times for passengers during the busy summer holiday period, the airport has launched a new program to speed up baggage delivery.
The program will reward ground handling companies in T1 international terminal with a monthly pool of $250,000 for delivering bags to carousels faster at the baggage carousel area.
Sydney Airport is working together with the airlines and contracted baggage handlers towards the long-term goal that no passenger waits more than 10 minutes at a baggage carousel.
The airport’s longer-term goal is to ensure no passenger waits more than 10 minutes at a baggage carousel and bring down connection times for transferring passengers between international and domestic terminals to 60 minutes.
Sydney Airport’s Chief Operating Officer Adrian Witherow said, “Airports are complex ecosystems and technology and infrastructure are only part of the equation.”
“You need complete alignment between every service provider to deliver a great outcome for customers, and this is what our new baggage incentive does,” he explained.
“Whether it’s speeding up the lines at security or cutting down wait times at the baggage carousel, we want to make every minute count for our passengers, so they can spend more time enjoying the journey.”
Sydney Airport launched two new international routes to Hangzhou (HGH) and Jinan (TNA) in China in early November.
After nearly two years in the making, the airport opened a new international arrivals forecourt earlier this year.
For more information on the hub, visit sydneyairport.com.au.
