Thursday 7 December 2023

• Sydney Airport is expecting 2.6 million passengers during the 3-week Christmas holiday peak, almost 500,000 more than last year
• Forecast includes 1.5 million domestic and 1.1 million international passengers
• Expected to be the biggest holiday period since 2019
• New programs and incentives introduced to reduce wait times for passengers

Sydney Airport is ready to welcome the 2.6 million passengers who are forecast to travel through the terminals during the upcoming Christmas holiday peak, from 14 December 2023 to 3 January 2024.

The forecast anticipates 500,000 more passengers than the 2022 Christmas holiday peak and represents a 95 per cent recovery compared to the same period in 2019.

The international recovery is especially strong, with 1.1 million passengers expected to pass through the T1 international terminal during the holidays, almost 300,000 more than last year or a 34% increase.

A total of 1.5 million domestic passengers are forecast to pass through the T2 and T3 domestic terminals, around 200,000 more than last year or a 16% increase.

The terminals are going to be busy and domestic passengers are advised to arrive 1 hour prior to departure if they only have hand-luggage, and 2 hours prior if they’re checking-in bags.

International passengers should arrive 3 hours prior to departure unless their airlines say otherwise.

Travellers planning to park at the terminals are advised to book parking to guarantee a spot and get the best deal.

Scott Charlton, Sydney Airport CEO, said: “Our teams are excited and ready to welcome travellers for the airport’s biggest holiday period in four years.

"We are delighted to have so many people taking off to see loved ones and explore this great country.

“International travel is booming and almost back to pre-pandemic levels.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

New program announced to cut baggage wait times

To help reduce wait times for passengers during this bumper summer holiday period, the airport has launched a new incentive program aimed at speeding up the delivery of bags.

The program involves the creation of a $250,000 monthly pool to be shared amongst ground handling companies that deliver bags to carousels faster at baggage reclaim in the T1 international terminal.

Ground handler companies are contracted by airlines, rather than by Sydney Airport, meaning innovative approaches like the incentive scheme are needed to encourage consistency.

Sydney Airport’s longer-term goal is to ensure no passenger waits more than 10 minutes at a baggage carousel. The baggage handler incentive program is also part of a longer-term plan to bring down connection times for transferring passengers between international and domestic terminals to 60 minutes.

Around one in five international passengers transfer onto a domestic flight, which involves taking a free transfer bus between the terminals.

Several changes have recently been made to speed this process up, including adding new dedicated transfer check-in services at T1 international, installing new signage at key locations and moving the transfer bus stops closer to the terminals.

Another area where the airport has seen wait times reduce since 2022 is at security checkpoints.

Since the start of the year, 95 per cent of domestic passengers have passed through security in less than 5 minutes, and 90 per cent of international passengers within 5 minutes.

Adrian Witherow, Sydney Airport’s Chief Operating Officer, 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.

“Nothing will make us happier than writing a cheque to baggage handlers for $250,000 at the end of every month because, if we do, it means our customers have had a great experience.

“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.”

Tips for travellers this Christmas

Check-in online: Save time by downloading your airline’s app and check-in online before you get to the airport.

Plan ahead: The car parks will be busy over the holidays, especially at the domestic terminals, so book ahead online to secure a spot and the best deal.

Get to the airport early: For domestic flights arrive 1 hour before departure if you only have hand luggage, 2 hours if you have luggage to check-in. For international flights, get there 3 hours before departure.