Tuesday 28 March 2023

• 2.4 million people set to pass through Sydney Airport during Easter school holiday peak
• Forecast includes more than 1.5 million domestic passengers and 850,000 international passengers
• Sydney Airport is prepared for the increased demand following a strong work force recovery
• Arrival guidance for domestic travellers updated to one hour prior to departure for passengers with hand luggage only, and two hours prior to for passengers with checked baggage
• International passengers advised to arrive three hours prior to departure

The Easter school holidays look set to be Sydney Airport’s biggest holiday period since 2019, with 2.4 million passengers forecast to pass through the terminals during the peak holiday period from 3 April to 23 April.

This represents a 90 per cent recovery compared to the equivalent 21-day Easter holiday peak in 2019, and a 34 per cent increase on passenger volumes during the 2022 Easter holiday period.

Domestic passengers are expected to surpass the 1.5 million mark, a 94 per cent recovery on the equivalent 21-day period in 2019, and 9 per cent increase on the same period in 2022.

On the international side, more than 850,000 passengers are forecast to pass through the T1 international terminal during this period, an 85 per cent recovery on 2019 volumes, and a 126 per cent increase on the same period in 2022.

Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert said: “We are ready and excited this Easter school holidays to welcome the largest number of passengers we’ve seen since Christmas 2019.

“Despite the steep airfares, it’s clear that many Australians are prioritising an Easter holiday.

“The ongoing momentum in the international recovery is also exciting, with international passenger volumes forecast to be more than double what they were during Easter 2022.

“Across markets like India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Canada we will have more airline capacity in April than we did at any point in 2019. This demonstrates Sydney’s enduring popularity as a destination and the impact of our joint commitment with the NSW Government to the Aviation Attraction Fund.”

New domestic arrival guidance as workforce recovers

Sydney Airport has updated the general guidance for domestic travellers, reflecting the ongoing recovery across the aviation workforce.

Passengers are advised to arrive one hour prior to departure if they only have hand-luggage, and 2 hours prior if they’re checking in bags.

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

Since April 2022, the advice was for all domestic passengers had been to arrive 2 hours early. The guidance was put in place due to significant labour shortages across the entire aviation industry. With the 800 organisations at Sydney Airport approaching their pre-COVID employment levels of 33,000 workers, operational performance has significantly improved.

Over the busy December - January school holiday period, 95 per cent of domestic passengers cleared security within 5 minutes, with the remaining 5 per cent processed in less than 15 minutes.

Chief Operating Officer at Sydney Airport, Sidone Thomas, said: “It has been a mammoth job to build back and train the workforce and we’re really happy to be getting back towards the level of service our passengers expect.

“Our advice to people travelling through Sydney Airport is to plan ahead to help their holiday go smoothly. If you’re parking at the terminals, ensure you book ahead to guarantee your spot and get the best deal.

“The terminals are going to be bustling, but our staff will be working around the clock to get passengers away to enjoy their Easter break.”

Easter activities at Sydney Airport

Throughout the April school holidays, there will be plenty of fun activities at the terminals to help keep the kids entertained, including a treasure hunt, face-painting, and Easter egg giveaways.

• Chocolate Easter egg giveaways: T1, T2, T3 from 6 - 9 April
• Australian animal cut outs for photos: T1, T2, T3 from 6 – 14 April
• Kids face painting: T2 & T3 7:30am to 10:30am from 6 - 7 April and 10 - 13 April
• Easter themed digital treasure hunt: throughout our domestic and international terminals with a chance to win a $3,000 travel voucher from 6 - 23 April
• Cuddly Care cards: throughout the holidays kids can collect a boarding pass to attach to their soft toys from the Ambassador Desks