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Australia’s four biggest airports are expecting almost 16 million total passengers over the Christmas holiday period.
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth Airports are bracing for potential post-COVID-19 highs in traveller numbers between 13 December and 27 January, with the holiday season tipped to be the busiest since at least 2019 at around 15.9 million passengers.
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Sydney is expecting 5.8 million passengers over the Christmas and New Year holidays, including 2.5 million international and 3.3 million domestic, marking a 99 per cent recovery on the 2019 season and the busiest end-of-year peak on record for international.
“This holiday season is expected to be busy, and while there may be queues, we will have plenty of staff on hand to ensure passengers get away safely. We’ve increased staffing levels and are activating overflow drop-off zones at the terminals to help passengers get into the terminals faster,” Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton said.
“With our multi-million-dollar capital program currently underway, which includes significant construction works and security upgrades, passenger journeys may be different than usual.
“Once completed, these upgrades will significantly enhance the passenger experience, but in the short term, there may be some disruptions. We would like to thank passengers for their patience during the holidays as we work to deliver these important improvements and look forward to welcoming them this holiday season.”
Melbourne expects 4.8 million passengers in the end-of-year peak, including 1.8 million international travellers, which would also be a new record for the airport.
“Our security screening lanes will be fully staffed so that processing times can be kept to a minimum, and we’ll have extra cleaners, customer service staff and engineers rostered on to address any issues that arise,” CEO Lorie Argus said.
“We have recently opened new, larger passenger amenities in international arrivals which are a significant upgrade on what was there before, but we still have major works underway on the baggage system.
“The forecast record international passenger numbers highlight the need for Melbourne Airport to start building its third runway, which was approved by the Federal Government in September.”
Brisbane is preparing for more than three million passengers, including 2,071,000 domestic and 935,000 international, representing a 94 per cent and 101 per cent recovery on 2019 figures respectively, or a 96 per cent total recovery.
“We know when Brisbane Airport is busy, Queensland’s tourism industry is busy, and the Sunshine State is rolling out the welcome mat for thousands of visitors across its length and breadth,” airport spokesperson Peter Doherty said.
“Both the Domestic Terminal and International Terminals are in the middle of major security upgrade works with temporary security facilities in place during this holiday period, so people who’ve not been to BNE for a while will notice changes, which is even more reason to leave ample time before catching a flight.”
Finally, Perth Airport is expecting 2.33 million passengers over the holiday period, said its chief commercial and aviation officer, Kate Holsgrove.
“This is an incredibly busy time for the airport so we’re asking travellers to be patient and be assured that our aim is to get you to your boarding gate as quickly and as smoothly as possible,” she said.
“Our passenger numbers have been growing steadily since the pandemic, so we are also investing in new infrastructure such as our first multi-storey car park, which is currently being built outside of Terminal 1 in the current Short Term car park.”
