Sydney Airport , officially Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport and occasionally known as Mascot Airport, is an international airport located in Mascot, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. It is the primary airport serving Sydney and its metropolitan area, and is the main hub for Qantas, the flag carrier of Australia, as well as a hub for Virgin Australia and an operating base for Jetstar.
Situated next to Botany Bay on 907 hectares (2,241 acres) of land with three runways, Sydney Airport is one of the world's longest continuously operated commercial airports and is the busiest airport in Australia, handling 41.4 million passengers and 348,904 aircraft movements in 2024 and 2017, respectively. Currently, 46 domestic and 43 international destinations are served to Sydney directly, having been the 48th busiest airport in the world in 2022. In 2018, the airport was rated in the top five worldwide for airports handling 40–50 million passengers annually and was overall voted the 20th best airport in the world at the Skytrax World Airport Awards.
The airport is owned by Sydney Airport Corporation Limited.
History
1911–1930: Early history
The land used for the airport had been a bullock paddock, with a lot of the area around Mascot being swampy. Flights had been taking off from at least 1911 from these fields, with aviators using other Sydney locations like Anderson Park and Neutral Bay for a few years prior.
Nigel Love established the airfield at Mascot as a private concern, leasing from the Kensington Race Club for three years. It initially had a small canvas structure but was later equipped with an imported Richards hangar. The first flight from Mascot was in November 1919 when Love carried freelance movie photographer Billy Marshall up in an Avro. Sydney Airport was declared an aerodrome and officially opened in January 1920. The official opening flight took place on 9 January 1920, also performed by Love.
In 1921, the Commonwealth Government purchased in Mascot for the purpose of creating a public airfield. In 1923, when Love's three-year lease expired, the Mascot land was compulsorily acquired by the Commonwealth Government from the racing club. The first regular flights began in 1924.
1930–1950
In 1933, the first gravel runways were built. On 14 August 1936, the airport was renamed Sydney (Kingsford Smith) AirportSydney Morning Herald 9 August 1938 p.12 in honour of pioneering Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. In 1940, the Department of Civil Aviation constructed an administrative and terminal building in the eastern part of the aerodrome, with a control tower cab at the top floor. The building is now part of Terminal 3 since 1999, but the control tower cab has already been removed.
By 1949, the airport had three runways – the 11/29, the 16/34, and the 04/22. The Sydenham to Botany railway line crossed runway 04/22 approximately from the northern end and was protected by special safe working facilities.
In the late 1940s (c. 1947–1949), a temporary overseas passenger (i.e. international) terminal was constructed. The original 1940 terminal then became the terminal building for the Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), the government-owned domestic airline, and the building also became known as the TAA terminal building. The temporary overseas passenger terminal was later replaced by a newer one in 1954, located just north of the 1940 terminal building.
1950–1990: Modernisation and upgrades During the year 1950, the airport handled at least 793,956 passengers and was ranked among the busiest airports in the world.
Between 1947 and 1953, the Cooks River was diverted away around the western side of the airport and other small streams were filled. This allowed the construction of two new paved runways to replace the three gravel runways. The first paved runway to be constructed was 07/25, completed in 1953–1954. Subsequently, the next paved runway to be constructed was 16/34 (now 16R/34L) which replaced the parallel gravel runway 16/34. Both runways were constructed south of the gravel runways. At the same time, on 2 November 1953, a new air traffic control tower with an integrated fire station was constructed northeast of where the two runways intersect, replacing the control tower on the 1940 terminal building. The tower was demolished in 2005.
The new runway 16R/34L was later extended southwards into Botany Bay over General Holmes Drive in 1968 to accommodate long-haul international jets, and then extended again to its current length in 1972. Sydney Airport's main runway is one of the longest commercial runways in the world at just under 4km. It was extended to this length in the late 1970s so it could double as a designated emergency landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle until 1986. Since then, the east–west 07/25 runway was long; and the north–south 16/34 runway was one of the longest runways in the Southern Hemisphere.
Up to the early 1960s, the majority of Sydneysiders referred to the airport as Mascot. Jet aircraft started to arrive in July 1959, with the introduction of Qantas' Boeing 707-138. By the 1960s, the need for a new international terminal had become apparent. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a terminal block for both international and domestic flights was proposed to be at the southeast portion of the airport near General Holmes Drive, but the proposal never eventuated. Work commenced on the construction of the new terminal in late 1966. Much of the new terminal was designed by Paynter and Dixon Industries with Costain appointed lead contractor.Kingsford Smith Airport Australian Transport April 1968 page 43 The new terminal was officially opened on 3 May 1970, by Queen Elizabeth II. The first Boeing 747 "Jumbo Jet" at the airport, Pan Am's Clipper Flying Cloud (N734PA), arrived on 4 October 1970.Meanwhile, the 1940 TAA domestic terminal was expanded and modernised in 1962, with departures separated from arrivals along with other upgrades. The terminal was replaced by a new TAA terminal in 1974, constructed on the site of the old international terminal building after the new international terminal opened four years prior. The new terminal was located directly north and adjacent to the original TAA terminal. The 1940 terminal was then taken over by East-West Airlines.
Upgrades and expansion of the Ansett terminal (now Terminal 2) also began in 1974.
1990–2010 Since the international terminal's original completion, it has undergone a few expansions. The international terminal was first expanded in 1992 with the construction of Pier C in the south.
The "third runway", which the Commonwealth government commenced development of in 1989 and completed in 1994, remained controversial because of increased aircraft movements, especially over inner suburbs. In 1995 the No Aircraft Noise party was formed to contest the 1995 New South Wales state election. The party did not win a seat in parliament but came close in the electorate of Marrickville. It also contested the 1996 Australian federal election.
In 1995, the Australian Parliament passed the Sydney Airport Curfew Act 1995, which limits the operating hours of the airport. This was done in an effort to reduce airport noise over residential areas and thereby curb complaints. The curfew prevents aircraft from taking off or landing between the hours of 11 pm and 6 am. A limited number of scheduled and approved take-offs and landings are permitted respectively in the "shoulder periods" of 11 pm to midnight and 5 am to 6 am. The Act does not stop all aircraft movements overnight but limits noise by restricting the types of aircraft that can operate, the runways they can use and the number of flights allowed. During extreme weather, flights are often delayed and it is often the case that people on late flights are unable to travel on a given day. , fines for violating curfew have been levied against four airlines, with a maximum fine of A$550,000 applicable. In addition to the curfew, Sydney Airport also has a cap of 80 aircraft movements per hour which cannot be exceeded, leading to increased delays during peak hours.
In 1998, the Federal Government agreed to separate Sydney Airport from the Federal Airports Corporation and to incorporate it as Sydney Airport Corporation. David Mortimer was appointed as Chair and Tony Stuart as CEO. Its mandate was to successfully redevelop the airport as the gateway for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, support the growth of new airlines such as Virgin and Emirates, and prepare it for a successful $3 billion-plus privatisation. In 2001 Sydney Airport was awarded World's Best Airport. In preparation for privatisation the airport argued successfully for a new regulatory regime.
All three terminals were upgraded prior to the 2000 Summer Olympics which was to be held in Sydney.
In 2002, the Commonwealth Government sold Sydney Airport Corporation (SAC), to Southern Cross Airports Corporation Holdings for $5.4 billion. 83 percent of SAC is owned by MAp Airports International Limited, a subsidiary of Macquarie Group, Sydney Airport Intervest GmbH owns 12 percent and Ontario Teachers' Australia Trust owns 5 percent. SACL holds a 99-year lease on the airport which remains Crown land and as such is categorised as a Leased Federal Airport.
In 2005, a planned expansion of the airport was announced, including the construction of a multi-level car park, and the expansion of both international and domestic terminals. The expansion was planned to stretch over 20 years (2005–25). These expansions—and other plans and policies by Macquarie Bank for airport operations were seen as controversial, as they were performed without the legal oversight of local councils, which usually act as the local planning authority for such developments. , some of the proposed development had been scaled back.
The international terminal underwent a renovation that was completed in mid-2010. The upgrade includes a new baggage system, an extra of space for shops and passenger waiting areas, expansion of the transit zone, and other improvements.
In March 2010, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission released a report sharply critical of price gouging at Sydney airport, ranking it fifth out of five airports. The report noted Sydney Airport recorded the highest average prices at $13.63 per passenger, compared to the lowest at $7.96 at Melbourne Airport, while the price of short-term parking had almost doubled in the 2008–09 financial year, from $28 to $50 for four hours. This amounts to the highest profit margins on aeronautical services and very high profit margins on car parking fees. The report also accused the airport of abusing its monopoly power.
2011–present: Modern history In December 2011, Sydney Airport announced a proposal to divide the airport into two airline-alliance-based precincts; integrating international, domestic, and regional services under one roof by 2019. Under the proposal, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 would be used by Qantas, Jetstar, and members of the Oneworld airline alliance while Terminal 1 would be used by Virgin Australia and its international partners. Other international airlines would continue to operate from T1. In September 2012, Sydney Airport Managing Director and CEO Kerrie Mather announced the airport had abandoned the proposal to create alliance-based terminals in favour of terminals "based around specific airline requirements and (passenger) transfer flows". She stated the plan was to minimise the number of passengers transferring between terminals.