Sydney Airport’s domestic passenger numbers are tracking at 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels with international traffic even further behind on the road to recovery.
Last month’s passenger data showed almost two million domestic passengers and 844,000 international passengers passed through Sydney Airport (SYD), down 15.5 per cent and 42.2 per cent compared to July 2019.
SYD CEO Geoff Culbert said the aviation industry could not cope with a return to pre-pandemic traffic levels as passenger demand recovers faster than the workforce.
“Everyone across the industry is working hard to rebuild their teams, but with the ongoing labour shortages it’s going to take time,” Mr Culbert said.
Airports have struggled to cope as staff shortages and illness saw numerous flights cancelled or delayed, bags lost and chaotic scenes at airports, which left passengers in long queues.
Qantas acknowledged it has struggled with the return to skies in recent months, announcing it would provide $50 flight discounts as an apology.
“Over the past few months, too many of you have had flights delayed, flights cancelled and bags misplaced,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said.
“There are good reasons why, but when it comes to what you expect from Qantas, it’s not good enough.”
Virgin Australia announced the return of special lanes for premium passengers to clear security faster and avoid the long queues that have stretched through airports this year.
Aimed at business travellers and only available from 5am to 10am, eligible passengers flying from Brisbane Airport will be able to use premium entry again and a priority screening lane will reopen at Melbourne Airport.
“We know time is important for our most frequent flyers, and our expanded security facilities in Brisbane and Melbourne are a ticket for loyal guests to quickly move through the screening process,” a Virgin spokesperson said.
An agreement is yet to be reached with Sydney Airport for Virgin premium entry.
Via AAP
