Sydney Airport Soars: Record International Traffic and Major Infrastructure Developments in 2025

Record-Breaking Performance

Sydney Airport has achieved a remarkable milestone in Q1 2025, recording its highest quarterly international traffic ever with 4.32 million international passengers. This represents a 3.9 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, demonstrating the continued strength of global travel demand.

Passenger Growth and Travel Trends

The airport handled a total of 10.4 million passengers in Q1 2025, showing a 0.8 percent increase from the previous year. International travel by Australians has seen significant growth, with a 7.5 percent increase compared to 2024. Notable growth has been observed in travelers from South Korea, India, and the Philippines.

Infrastructure Improvements

The T1 International terminal has undergone significant upgrades, with nine of the 15 new security lanes now featuring advanced CT scanner technology. This enhancement will increase screening capacity by nearly 30 percent and allow passengers to keep laptops, liquids, and aerosols in their carry-on bags.

The airport has installed eight new SmartGate kiosks at T1 Arrivals, increasing international passenger processing capacity by 640 passengers per hour. A $200 million Terminal 2 redevelopment is underway, which includes new CT security scanners and the implementation of self-service check-in kiosks and advanced bag drop systems.

Operational Excellence

The airport has maintained strong operational performance, with 99.7 percent of international passengers and 99.4 percent of domestic passengers clearing security in under 10 minutes. Immigration processing has improved, with 90 percent of passengers clearing within 34 minutes – a 15 percent improvement from 2024. Both domestic and international on-time performance has shown significant improvement through collaboration with airlines and Airservices Australia.

Future Developments

In a significant development for Sydney’s aviation sector, Australia’s first major airport in 50 years is under construction in Western Sydney. The Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport is on track to commence operations in 2026, marking a new era in the city’s aviation history.