Airport Statistics Updated November 2026

Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated

250 Sydney Airport Statistics for 2026

Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport handled 42,566,527 revenue passengers in 2025 on the count of Australia's Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE), more than any other Australian airport. International traffic, at 17,257,802 passengers, was above its 2019 level, while domestic traffic was still below it.

This page brings together the main figures on Sydney Airport (SYD): passengers each year and in 2026, the peak months, domestic and international traffic, routes, airlines, flights, the flight cap and curfew, cargo, punctuality, charges and profits, parking and transport, facilities, emissions and the Master Plan to 2045. Every number links to the body that published it, with the date.

Sydney figures depend on who counts. BITRE counts revenue passengers on scheduled flights; Sydney Airport counts passengers through its terminals from its management accounts; and the numbers the airport reports to the competition regulator, the ACCC, are for financial years from July to June. BITRE counts airline flights only, while Airservices Australia, which runs air traffic control, counts every aircraft. Each figure here says whose it is and what it measures, and figures for Western Sydney International, a separate airport, are never added to Sydney's.

Headline figures

How many passengers use Sydney Airport each year?

Sydney ranked first among Australian airports for passengers in 2025 on BITRE's count. Traffic has won back most of what it lost in the pandemic, but 2025 was still below 2018 and 2019.

35.7m 2010 35.7m 2011 37.0m 2012 38.2m 2013 38.7m 2014 39.8m 2015 42.0m 2016 43.3m 2017 44.4m 2018 44.4m 2019 11.2m 2020 7.9m 2021 29.1m 2022 38.7m 2023 41.5m 2024 42.6m 2025
View data table
Revenue passengers at Sydney each calendar year, arriving and departing, in millions, on BITRE's count of scheduled flights.
PeriodValue
201035.7m
201135.7m
201237.0m
201338.2m
201438.7m
201539.8m
201642.0m
201743.3m
201844.4m
201944.4m
202011.2m
20217.9m
202229.1m
202338.7m
202441.5m
202542.6m
Revenue passengers at Sydney each calendar year, arriving and departing, in millions, on BITRE's count of scheduled flights. (BITRE (airport traffic data, calendar years), Nov 2026)

BITRE counts revenue passengers arriving and departing on regular public transport (scheduled) flights and leaves out charter flights. Calendar-year and financial-year (July to June) figures are kept apart. Sydney Airport's own counts and the figures it reports to the ACCC are different measures and appear only with their own labels.

What do the financial-year figures show?

The ACCC figures are passengers as reported by the airport for each financial year, rounded to the nearest 100,000.

How far has traffic recovered since the pandemic?

  • In April 2020 Sydney had just 89,548 revenue passengers, 48,178 domestic and 41,370 international, against 3,684,204 in April 2019. (BITRE (monthly airport traffic data), Nov 2026)
  • August 2021 had 51,169 revenue passengers and September 2021 had 41,133, of whom 22,661 were domestic and 18,472 international. (BITRE (monthly airport traffic data), Nov 2026)
  • In 2020 passengers fell 71% across Australia and 75% at Sydney Airport; by the end of 2024 the airport was back to 93.2% of pre-pandemic levels on its own count. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, Section One), Aug 2026)
  • In December 2023 Sydney Airport counted 3.58 million passengers, 90.6% of December 2019, and more than 38 million for the year. (Sydney Airport (December 2023 traffic release), Dec 2023)
  • Its 2024 count of 41.39 million passengers was up 7.1% on 2023 but 6.8% below 2019; domestic traffic of 25.09 million was 8.9% below 2019 and international traffic of 16.30 million 3.5% below. (Sydney Airport (Q4 2024 traffic release), Jan 2025)
  • Sydney Airport says its 42.5 million passengers in 2025 were 4.3 percent below its 2019 total of 44.4 million, while its international passengers were almost 2 percent ahead of 2019. (Sydney Airport (2025 annual review), May 2026)
  • The ACCC said domestic passengers at Sydney in 2024-25 were 8.5% below 2018-19, and that Sydney and Melbourne were yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)

BITRE monthly figures are revenue passengers on scheduled flights. Sydney Airport's recovery figures are its own counts and the ACCC's are financial years, so the three are not compared.

How busy is Sydney Airport in 2026?

Sydney is growing slowly in 2026. International traffic grew faster than domestic over the year to July, but the second quarter was slightly down on 2025 on the airport's own count, after Middle East airspace closures suspended some Gulf flights.

3.89m Jan 3.30m Feb 3.59m Mar 3.52m Apr 3.27m May 3.18m Jun 3.62m Jul
View data table
Revenue passengers at Sydney each month in 2026, in millions, on BITRE's count of scheduled flights. July is the latest month published.
PeriodValue
Jan3.89m
Feb3.30m
Mar3.59m
Apr3.52m
May3.27m
Jun3.18m
Jul3.62m
Revenue passengers at Sydney each month in 2026, in millions, on BITRE's count of scheduled flights. July is the latest month published. (BITRE (monthly airport traffic data), Nov 2026)

BITRE's monthly figures are revenue passengers on scheduled flights, and July 2026 is the latest month it has published. Sydney Airport's quarterly figures come from its management accounts, are provisional and count passengers through its terminals, so they differ from BITRE's and are not compared with them. Sydney Airport's third-quarter 2026 release was not available when this page was reviewed.

Which months bring the most passengers to Sydney Airport?

Sydney peaks in October and over the summer holidays in December and January, and February and June are among the quietest months. In December more international passengers leave than arrive, and in January the flow turns round.

3.84m Jan 3.20m Feb 3.38m Mar 3.52m Apr 3.32m May 3.22m Jun 3.66m Jul 3.51m Aug 3.52m Sep 3.85m Oct 3.64m Nov 3.91m Dec
View data table
Revenue passengers at Sydney each month in 2025, in millions, on BITRE's count of scheduled flights.
PeriodValue
Jan3.84m
Feb3.20m
Mar3.38m
Apr3.52m
May3.32m
Jun3.22m
Jul3.66m
Aug3.51m
Sep3.52m
Oct3.85m
Nov3.64m
Dec3.91m
Revenue passengers at Sydney each month in 2025, in millions, on BITRE's count of scheduled flights. (BITRE (monthly airport traffic data), Nov 2026)

Monthly figures are BITRE revenue passengers on scheduled flights. BITRE's monthly file and its annual file differ slightly because of revisions, so this page uses the annual file for yearly totals. The school holiday figures are Sydney Airport forecasts made before each holiday, not counts.

How many Sydney passengers fly domestic and how many international?

Most Sydney passengers fly within Australia, but international traffic is the part that has recovered further. On BITRE's count, international traffic passed its 2019 level in 2025 while domestic traffic was still below it.

  • Domestic and regional 25.31m
  • International 17.26m
Revenue passengers at Sydney in 2025 on domestic and international airlines, in millions, on BITRE's count. Regional flights are counted as domestic. (BITRE (airport traffic data, calendar years), Nov 2026)

BITRE's airport traffic data count revenue passengers on scheduled flights, with regional flights counted as domestic. Its domestic aviation report counts passengers on board each domestic flight stage, including domestic legs of international flights, so its Sydney figure is higher. Sydney Airport's quarterly and annual counts come from its management accounts, are provisional and separate regional from domestic traffic. The three are not added or compared.

Where do Sydney's international flights go?

Singapore, Auckland and Hong Kong are Sydney's main international routes, and Hong Kong is growing fastest of the three. Southeast and Northeast Asia supply most of the international seats, and there are no non-stop flights to Europe.

  1. 1 Southeast Asia 302,922
  2. 2 Northeast Asia 206,352
  3. 3 New Zealand 142,531
  4. 4 North America 88,261
  5. 5 Middle East 75,915
  6. 6 Islands 46,589
  7. 7 South Asia 15,468
  8. 8 South America 12,665
  9. 9 Africa 8,234
Scheduled international seats arriving at Sydney on direct flights in July 2026, by world region, on BITRE's count. Europe has no direct flights. (BITRE (international flights and seats, Jul 2026), Oct 2026)

BITRE counts passengers on scheduled international airlines by the port where they board or leave the aircraft, so a city such as Singapore can include passengers flying beyond it. BITRE's international airline report and its monthly airport traffic file give slightly different December 2025 totals; each is shown with its own source. The monthly port and seat figures are provisional.

Which countries do Sydney's international passengers come from?

  • Sydney Airport's top five international markets in 2025 were New Zealand, China, the United States, Singapore and the UAE, together 47 percent of its international passengers. (Sydney Airport (2025 annual review), May 2026)
  • Mainland China became its second-largest international market in 2025, with passengers up 5 percent to 1.7 million, and Hong Kong passengers rose 15 percent to 980,876. (Sydney Airport (2025 annual review), May 2026)
  • Japan (873k), South Korea (757k) and the Philippines (472k) had their highest passenger numbers since 2015, as did the routes to Seoul (744k), Manila (470k), Queenstown (426k) and Jakarta (219k), the airport says. (Sydney Airport (2025 annual review), May 2026)
  • By December 2025 nine airlines flew 91 return services a week to 14 destinations in Mainland China, and Australian passport holders travelling to Mainland China rose 15 percent to 393,305. (Sydney Airport (2025 annual review), May 2026)
  • In the fourth quarter of 2025 Chinese passport holders rose 12.2% and South Korean passport holder arrivals 15.3% on a year earlier, while travel from Japan rose 8.3% and from the United Kingdom 7.4%. (Sydney Airport (Q4 2025 traffic release), Feb 2026)
  • In the fourth quarter of 2024 Australians were the top nationality, up 8.4% on 2019, followed by China, down 15.1%, New Zealand, down 8.3%, and the United States, down 15.6%; South Korea, sixth, was up 33.0%. (Sydney Airport (Q4 2024 traffic release), Jan 2025)
  • In the second quarter of 2026 Australians were the top nationality, up 2.8%, followed by China, up 13.9%, and New Zealand and the United States, both down 3.1%; Japan rose 13.8% and Indonesia fell 16.5%. (Sydney Airport (Q2 2026 traffic data), Aug 2026)
  • New Zealand was the top international destination country in the first quarter of 2026, up 13.5%, followed by China, up 14.0%, the United States, down 0.7%, and Singapore, down 0.1%; Malaysia grew 32.3% and the UAE fell 15.2%. (Sydney Airport (Q1 2026 traffic data), Apr 2026)
  • Chinese passport holder arrivals rose 11.4% in the second quarter of 2025. (Sydney Airport (Q2 2025 traffic release), Aug 2025)
  • 855,000 passengers travelled between Sydney and Japan in the 12 months to March 2025. (Sydney Airport (Q1 2025 traffic release), May 2025)
  • Short-term visitors intending to stay in New South Wales numbered 3.43 million in 2025-26, against 3.14 million in 2024-25 and 3.49 million in 2018-19; NSW had 37.7% of all visitor arrivals to Australia. (ABS (overseas arrivals and departures 2025-26), Aug 2026)
  • Australia recorded 9,101,120 short-term visitor arrivals in 2025-26, up 8.3%, and 12,711,650 short-term resident returns. (ABS (overseas arrivals and departures 2025-26), Aug 2026)
  • In September 2026, 255,130 short-term visitors arrived intending to stay in NSW, down 0.5% on September 2025, and 323,070 NSW residents returned from short trips abroad. (ABS (overseas arrivals and departures, Sep 2026), Nov 2026)

Sydney Airport's market, nationality and destination figures are its own and mostly give growth rates, not volumes. ABS counts visitors by the state they plan to stay in, whatever airport they use, so its NSW figures are not Sydney Airport counts.

Where do Sydney's domestic flights go?

Melbourne dominates Sydney's domestic flying, with Brisbane a distant second and the Gold Coast third. Planes on the Melbourne and Brisbane routes were more than 85% full in 2025.

  1. 1 Melbourne 8,121k
  2. 2 Brisbane 4,383k
  3. 3 Gold Coast 2,528k
  4. 4 Adelaide 1,905k
  5. 5 Perth 1,749k
  6. 6 Cairns 927k
  7. 7 Hobart 835k
  8. 8 Sunshine Coast 799k
  9. 9 Canberra 611k
  10. 10 Ballina 467k
Passengers carried on Sydney's ten largest domestic routes in 2025, in thousands, both directions, on BITRE's route figures. (BITRE (domestic aviation activity 2025), 2026)
  • Brisbane-Sydney carried 4,383.0 thousand passengers in 2025, up 0.6%, and Gold Coast-Sydney 2,527.7 thousand, down 0.4%. (BITRE (domestic aviation activity 2025), 2026)
  • Adelaide-Sydney had 1,904.9 thousand, Perth-Sydney 1,749.3 thousand, up 6.7%, and Cairns-Sydney 927.1 thousand. (BITRE (domestic aviation activity 2025), 2026)
  • Hobart-Sydney had 835.1 thousand, Sunshine Coast-Sydney 798.8 thousand and Canberra-Sydney 610.7 thousand, down 4.5%. (BITRE (domestic aviation activity 2025), 2026)
  • Ballina-Sydney had 466.9 thousand, down 10.8%, Launceston-Sydney 354.7 thousand, Hamilton Island-Sydney 251.6 thousand and Coffs Harbour-Sydney 200.5 thousand. (BITRE (domestic aviation activity 2025), 2026)
  • Dubbo-Sydney had 173.3 thousand, Sydney-Wagga Wagga 168.2 thousand, Port Macquarie-Sydney 166.6 thousand and Albury-Sydney 155.8 thousand. (BITRE (domestic aviation activity 2025), 2026)
  • Planes on Melbourne-Sydney were 85.1% full in 2025, up from 83.3%, and on Brisbane-Sydney 85.9%; Canberra-Sydney was 65.4%. Melbourne-Sydney had 9,546.6 thousand seats available. (BITRE (domestic aviation activity 2025), 2026)
  • Airlines flew 54,480 trips on Melbourne-Sydney in 2025, down 2.1%, 30,359 on Brisbane-Sydney, 16,306 on Gold Coast-Sydney, 14,448 on Canberra-Sydney, 13,593 on Adelaide-Sydney and 10,905 on Perth-Sydney, up 8.0%. (BITRE (domestic aviation activity 2025), 2026)
  • Melbourne-Sydney carried 8,055.8 thousand passengers in the year to June 2025. (BITRE (domestic aviation activity 2024-25), 2025)
  • Sydney Airport's top destinations in the first quarter of 2026 were Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth, followed by Singapore, Auckland and Hong Kong; Hobart was ninth and Seoul tenth. (Sydney Airport (Q1 2026 traffic data), Apr 2026)
  • In the second quarter of 2026 traffic to Melbourne fell 1.4% and to Perth 5.4%, while the Gold Coast rose 2.6% and Guangzhou 50.5%; Canberra fell 13.6%. (Sydney Airport (Q2 2026 traffic data), Aug 2026)

BITRE's route figures are passengers carried in both directions on each city pair by Australian airlines, including domestic legs of international flights, and cover only the routes in its top list, not every Sydney route. Load factor is the share of seats filled. Sydney Airport's destination rankings are its own and give growth rates, not volumes.

Which airlines fly at Sydney Airport?

More than 50 airlines serve Sydney, and new Chinese and Egyptian services are adding to the list. Qantas, the home airline, is preparing non-stop flights to London and New York.

  1. 1 Qantas Airways 16.4%
  2. 2 Jetstar 14.1%
  3. 3 Singapore Airlines 8.8%
  4. 4 Air New Zealand 6.5%
  5. 5 Virgin Australia 4.6%
  6. 6 Cathay Pacific 4.5%
  7. 7 Emirates 4.0%
  8. 8 Malaysia Airlines 3.5%
  9. 9 Scoot 2.9%
  10. 10 Qatar Airways 2.4%
Share of all Australian international passengers by airline in July 2026, on BITRE's count. BITRE does not publish these shares for single airports. (BITRE (international airline activity, Jul 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Over 50 international, domestic and regional airlines serve 31 countries and 105 destinations from Sydney Airport, its Master Plan says. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, Section One), Aug 2026)
  • Shenzhen Airlines plans a four-times-weekly Shenzhen-Sydney service from 14 December 2026, adding about 130,000 seats a year, which the airport says will take its count of carriers to 55. (Sydney Airport (Shenzhen Airlines release), Sep 2026)
  • EgyptAir plans a Cairo-Singapore-Sydney service from 2027; the airport counted it as its 54th airline, and Egypt was its largest unserved market in Africa. (Sydney Airport (EgyptAir release), Sep 2026)
  • Sydney Airport said international seat capacity was up 4 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2025; Malaysia Airlines' Sydney-Kuala Lumpur route had more than 630,000 seats a year, and China Southern's peak expansion to Guangzhou would add almost 44,000 seats. (Sydney Airport (Q3 2025 traffic release), Oct 2025)
  • In December 2023 nine airlines flew 89 return services a week between Sydney and mainland China. (Sydney Airport (December 2023 traffic release), Dec 2023)
  • Across all Australian airports, Qantas Airways carried 15.7% of international passengers in December 2025, Jetstar 12.2%, Singapore Airlines 7.5%, Air New Zealand 6.8%, Emirates 5.1% and Virgin Australia 4.5%. (BITRE (international airline activity, Dec 2025), Dec 2025)
  • Emirates' share of Australia's international passengers fell from 6.4% in July 2025 to 4.0% in July 2026, while Scoot had 2.9%. (BITRE (international airline activity, Jul 2026), Oct 2026)
  • The Qantas Group carried 55,945 thousand passengers across its whole network in 2025-26, with a seat factor of 84.5% and 372 aircraft at the end of the year. (Qantas Group (Annual Report 2026), Aug 2026)
  • Qantas expects 12 Project Sunrise aircraft to enter service from 2027, enabling non-stop Sydney-London and Sydney-New York flights, and plans direct flights from Sydney to Las Vegas. (Qantas Group (Annual Report 2026), Aug 2026)

Airline shares are for all Australian international traffic, not Sydney alone. Qantas Group figures cover its whole network. Carrier counts are Sydney Airport's own and change as services start; new routes are airline plans. Seat figures in the airport's releases are its statements about airline schedules.

How many flights does Sydney Airport handle?

Sydney handled fewer scheduled airline flights in 2025 than in 2019. Air traffic control counts every aircraft, including helicopters and private planes, so its totals are higher than BITRE's airline-only figures.

311.2k 2015 320.0k 2016 320.3k 2017 320.6k 2018 324.1k 2019 122.0k 2020 124.9k 2021 252.4k 2022 295.8k 2023 298.1k 2024 293.5k 2025
View data table
Aircraft movements on scheduled airline flights at Sydney each calendar year, in thousands, on BITRE's count.
PeriodValue
2015311.2k
2016320.0k
2017320.3k
2018320.6k
2019324.1k
2020122.0k
2021124.9k
2022252.4k
2023295.8k
2024298.1k
2025293.5k
Aircraft movements on scheduled airline flights at Sydney each calendar year, in thousands, on BITRE's count. (BITRE (airport traffic data, calendar years), Nov 2026)

BITRE counts landings and take-offs by scheduled airline flights (regular public transport) and leaves out charter, general aviation and military flights. Airservices Australia counts every aircraft, as arrivals and circuits multiplied by two. The two series are never added or compared as equal, and calendar and financial years are kept apart.

How many aircraft movements does air traffic control count?

Airservices counts all aircraft, including general aviation, helicopters and military flights, by financial year (July to June).

What limits flights at Sydney Airport?

Federal law caps Sydney at 80 aircraft movements an hour and closes it to almost all flights from 11pm to 6am. Slots are tightly managed at peak times, but the government says the airport is not at capacity outside peak hours.

  1. 1 Domestic, winter 2022 17.8%
  2. 2 Domestic, winter 2023 8.1%
  3. 3 Regional NSW, winter 2022 11.0%
  4. 4 Regional NSW, winter 2023 24.4%
Share of Sydney Airport slots left unused by airlines in the northern winter 2022 and 2023 seasons, in per cent, from the independent slot audit for the Department of Infrastructure. (To70 for the Department of Infrastructure (slot audit), Nov 2024)

The movement cap and curfew are set in federal law. The slot figures come from an independent audit published by the Department of Infrastructure, covering October 2022 to March 2024; a slot series is a run of slots at about the same time on the same weekday through a season.

How much cargo goes through Sydney Airport?

Sydney handles close to half of Australia's international air freight, and most of it is inbound. Volumes have moved up and down since 2018 with no clear trend, and the airport's plan expects freight to grow strongly by 2045.

443k 2015 477k 2016 511k 2017 543k 2018 521k 2019 534k 2020 568k 2021 536k 2022 483k 2023 553k 2024 514k 2025
View data table
International air freight through Sydney each calendar year, excluding mail, in thousand tonnes, on BITRE's count of scheduled international flights.
PeriodValue
2015443k
2016477k
2017511k
2018543k
2019521k
2020534k
2021568k
2022536k
2023483k
2024553k
2025514k
International air freight through Sydney each calendar year, excluding mail, in thousand tonnes, on BITRE's count of scheduled international flights. (BITRE (airport traffic data, calendar years), Nov 2026)

BITRE's airport traffic data count international freight in tonnes on scheduled international flights, with mail counted separately. Its domestic aviation report counts domestic cargo in thousand tonnes, and the two are not added. Sydney Airport's Master Plan forecast covers all freight it processes, international and domestic, so it is a different measure from both.

How punctual are flights at Sydney Airport?

About three in four domestic flights at Sydney arrive and leave on time. Canberra routes have the highest cancellation rates in the country, and August 2026 brought Sydney's best August arrival punctuality since 2017, outside the pandemic years, Airservices says.

  1. 1 Ballina 83.0%
  2. 2 Hamilton Island 79.9%
  3. 3 Cairns 79.6%
  4. 4 Gold Coast 79.4%
  5. 5 Adelaide 78.9%
  6. 6 Canberra 78.1%
  7. 7 Melbourne 77.5%
  8. 8 Wagga Wagga 77.5%
  9. 9 Brisbane 76.7%
  10. 10 Hobart 76.7%
  11. 11 Sunshine Coast 76.5%
  12. 12 Launceston 74.2%
  13. 13 Albury 74.1%
  14. 14 Perth 71.9%
  15. 15 Port Macquarie 70.7%
  16. 16 Dubbo 70.5%
  17. 17 Coffs Harbour 69.3%
Share of domestic flights leaving Sydney on time in 2025, by destination, in per cent, on BITRE's measure (within 15 minutes of schedule, all airlines). (BITRE (on-time performance 2025), 2026)
  • In 2025, 75.0% of domestic arrivals at Sydney were on time, 65,704 of 87,568 sectors flown, and 67,394 of 87,698 departures left on time. (BITRE (on-time performance 2025), 2026)
  • Virgin Australia had 78.9% of its Sydney departures on time in 2025, Qantas 78.4%, Jetstar 76.1%, QantasLink 72.3% and Rex Airlines 70.5%; on arrivals Qantas had 76.1%, Jetstar 75.7%, Virgin Australia and QantasLink 74.4% and Rex 71.7%. (BITRE (on-time performance 2025), 2026)
  • Canberra-Sydney had the highest cancellation rate of any route in 2025 at 6.2%, followed by Sydney-Canberra at 5.6%; Hamilton Island-Sydney had the lowest share of on-time arrivals (60.8%) and departures (61.6%). (BITRE (on-time performance 2025), 2026)
  • On Melbourne-Sydney, 24,282 of 25,369 scheduled sectors flew in 2025 and 1,087 were cancelled (4.3%); 80.1% of departures were on time. On Sydney-Melbourne, 1,103 of 25,294 were cancelled (4.4%) and 76.5% of arrivals were on time. (BITRE (on-time performance 2025), 2026)
  • Cancellation rates on flights leaving Sydney in 2025 were 3.3% to Brisbane, 2.3% to Adelaide, 2.0% to Hobart, 1.0% to Perth and 0.3% to Cairns. (BITRE (on-time performance 2025), 2026)
  • In 2024, 74.3% of domestic arrivals at Sydney (66,823 of 89,916) and 75.2% of departures (67,777 of 90,166) were on time. (BITRE (on-time performance 2024), 2025)
  • In the 2024-25 financial year, 65,569 of 87,135 arrivals and 66,686 of 87,348 departures were on time, or 76.3% of departures. (BITRE (on-time performance 2024-25), 2025)
  • In August 2026, 79.8% of arrivals at Sydney (5,807 of 7,276) and 78.2% of departures (5,695 of 7,283) were on time; Virgin Australia had 83.0% of departures on time, Qantas 82.0%, QantasLink 73.5%, Jetstar 73.2% and Rex 67.6%. (BITRE (on-time performance, Aug 2026), 2026)
  • Orange-Sydney had the highest cancellation rate in August 2026 at 8.7%, and Hamilton Island-Sydney the lowest on-time arrivals (51.7%) and departures (48.3%) of the 59 reported routes. (BITRE (on-time performance, Aug 2026), 2026)
  • Excluding the pandemic, Sydney's arrival on-time performance in August 2026 was its highest for an August since 2017, and cancellations their lowest August rate since reporting began in 2003, Airservices says. (Airservices Australia (network overview, Sep 2026), Oct 2026)
  • On Sydney Airport's own measure, 75.8% of domestic and 68.2% of international flights left on time in 2024, against 70.6% and 59.6% in 2023; there were no days with domestic traffic delays over 10 minutes, against 42 in 2023. (Sydney Airport (Q4 2024 traffic release), Jan 2025)
  • In the first quarter of 2026 its domestic figure was 75.4%, down from 78.5% a year earlier, and 90.5% of first-wave domestic departures left on time. (Sydney Airport (Q1 2026 traffic data), Apr 2026)
  • In the second quarter of 2026, 81.6% of domestic and 72.9% of international departures were on time on the airport's measure; for the first half of the year the figures were 78.5% and 69.8%. (Sydney Airport (Q2 2026 traffic data), Aug 2026)

BITRE counts a flight as on time if it arrives or departs within 15 minutes of schedule, and covers only reported domestic routes by participating airlines, not every flight at Sydney. Sydney Airport's own measure counts departures within 15 minutes of the scheduled off-block time and includes international flights. The two are not compared.

How long are the queues for security and immigration?

  • In the fourth quarter of 2025, 99.8% of domestic and 99.4% of international passengers cleared security in under 10 minutes, and 90% of arriving passengers cleared immigration within 34 minutes, 8.1% better than a year earlier. (Sydney Airport (Q4 2025 traffic release), Feb 2026)
  • All 15 new security lanes at T1 International and six of the seven new CT-enabled lanes at T2 were open by then. (Sydney Airport (Q4 2025 traffic release), Feb 2026)
  • In the third quarter of 2025, 90% of international arrivals cleared immigration within 35 minutes, against 42 minutes a year earlier; T1 had 14 days with traffic delays over 10 minutes in the quarter. (Sydney Airport (Q3 2025 traffic data), Oct 2025)
  • In the second quarter of 2026 all domestic and 99.9% of international passengers cleared security in under 10 minutes, and 90% cleared immigration within 32 minutes. (Sydney Airport (Q2 2026 traffic data), Aug 2026)
  • Eight SmartGate kiosks opened at T1 in May 2025, adding capacity for 640 arriving travellers an hour; Sydney Airport is buying 40 more, and a further 32 will double the terminal's kiosks. In the first quarter of 2025, 90 per cent of arrivals cleared immigration within 36 minutes. (ABF (SmartGate release), May 2025)

Queue times are Sydney Airport's own measures; the immigration figure is the time within which 90% of arriving passengers clear immigration. The SmartGate release is a joint announcement by Sydney Airport and the Australian Border Force.

How much does Sydney Airport earn?

Sydney Airport earns more from airlines per passenger than the other three monitored airports, and the competition regulator says its returns are the highest it has seen in two decades of monitoring. Shops, property and car parks add hundreds of millions of dollars more.

  • Aeronautical $997.9m
  • Retail $395.0m
  • Property and car rental $279.9m
  • Parking and ground transport $208.0m
  • Aeronautical security recovery $199.0m
  • Other $7.5m
Revenue of Southern Cross Airports Corporation Holdings, owner and operator of Sydney Airport, in calendar 2025 by source, in millions of Australian dollars, from its audited accounts. (Southern Cross Airports (2025 financial report), Mar 2026)
  • Sydney Airport's aeronautical revenue was $1,229.4 million in 2024-25, and its aeronautical operating profit (EBITA) $584.3 million, a 47.5% margin and more than double any other airport. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Aeronautical profit per passenger was $13.99, the highest of the four airports but down $0.43 (3.0%), the only fall among them. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Real aeronautical revenue per passenger rose $7.66 (35.2%) between 2015-16 and 2024-25 and has been the highest of the four airports in each of the past 10 years; Brisbane's rose $6.07, Melbourne's $5.38 and Perth's $2.52. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Aeronautical expenses were $645.0 million, up 1.6%, or $15.44 per passenger, against $13.84 at Melbourne, $13.81 at Perth and $13.09 at Brisbane. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Total airport revenue was $2.0 billion, up 3.5%, and total operating profit $1,134.1 million, against $1,110.2 million in 2023-24 and $643.0 million in 2022-23, a 56.4% margin. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Total expenses rose 5.2% to $877.3 million, and aeronautical revenue made up 61.1% of total revenue. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Sydney Airport invested $298.7 million in aeronautical assets in 2024-25, up 31.7%. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • The four largest airports invested $1.5 billion in aeronautical facilities in 2024-25, up 43.6%, and the ACCC said Sydney's aeronautical profits "eclipsed all of the other airports combined". (ACCC (media release, Mar 2026), Mar 2026)
  • For 2023-24 the ACCC reported aeronautical revenue of $1,190.2 million, or $29.36 per passenger, aeronautical profit of $570.5 million, a 47.9% margin, and a 20.2% return on aeronautical assets; the profit was 126.7% above 2022-23 and 17.6% above 2018-19. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2023-24), Mar 2025)

The ACCC figures are for the financial year to June 2025 on the ACCC's own definitions, with some in real (inflation-adjusted) dollars; the 2023-24 and 2024-25 editions use different price bases, so they are not compared directly. The audited accounts are for calendar 2025 and use different definitions. Sydney Airport's annual review gives a different 2025 investment figure with an unstated scope, so it is not used. All amounts are Australian dollars.

What do the owner's audited accounts show?

The accounts are for the calendar year to 31 December 2025, in Australian dollars.

How do people get to Sydney Airport, and what does parking cost?

Most trips to Sydney Airport are by car, taxi or rideshare, and fewer than one in four use public transport. A full day at the terminal car park costs more than at the other big airports, and the train adds a station fee on top of the fare.

  • Private or other 77%
  • Public transport 23%
How trips to and from Sydney Airport are made, in per cent, from a 2024 AECOM study cited in the Master Plan 2045. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, Section One), Aug 2026)
  • 23% of trips to and from Sydney Airport are by public transport and 77% by private or other means, from a 2024 AECOM study cited in the Master Plan; the airport is 8 km from the Sydney CBD. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, Section One), Aug 2026)
  • The station access fee is $16.64 per trip for child, youth and concession users; weekly caps are $37.75 for adults and $33.83 for concessions, and the adult fee on an Opal single ticket is $19.00. The privately owned Airport Link Company charges it. (Transport for NSW (airport travel page), Nov 2026)
  • T8 Airport and South Line trains serve the Domestic and International stations every day between 5am and midnight, and a flat taxi fare to the CBD of $60, or $80 for a maxi taxi, has been trialled since 3 November 2025. (Transport for NSW (airport travel page), Nov 2026)
  • Sydney Airport earned $163.9 million from car parking in 2024-25, with expenses of $55.2 million and an operating profit of $108.7 million, up 11.1% and the biggest growth of the four airports; the margin was 66.3%. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • It had 18,070 parking spaces, earning $9,073 in revenue and $6,018 in operating profit per space, the profit up 13.1%. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • For 30 to 60 minutes at the terminal, Brisbane was the most expensive at $25.00, followed by Sydney at $24.20; Melbourne was the cheapest for up to 24 hours at $54.00. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Sydney's car parks handled an average of 15,379 vehicles a day in 2024-25, the most of the four airports. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Sydney Airport is carrying out an $86.4 million investment programme across its car parks. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • 4.7 million vehicles used Sydney Airport's landside access in 2024-25, the most of the four airports and up 4.1%; landside access revenue was $27.7 million, second to Melbourne's $29.7 million. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Rideshare made up 49.1% of Sydney's landside revenue and taxis 28.6%, and taxis paid $5.80 per pick-up. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • In 2023-24 car parking revenue was $150.3 million and operating profit $95.6 million, a 63.6% margin, from 18,393 spaces. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2023-24), Mar 2025)

Parking and landside figures are for the financial year to June 2025, from the ACCC, and parking prices are as at 30 June 2025. Train fees are as shown by Transport for NSW in November 2026, and the flat taxi fare was a trial. All amounts are Australian dollars.

How big is Sydney Airport?

Sydney Airport has three runways, one international terminal and two domestic terminals that are not linked to each other. Airlines rate its runways and aprons well but its aerobridges, check-in and baggage systems poorly.

  1. 1 16R/34L 3,962 m
  2. 2 07/25 2,530 m
  3. 3 16L/34R 2,438 m
Length of Sydney Airport's three runways, in metres, from the Master Plan 2045 appendices. All three are 45 metres wide. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, appendices), Aug 2026)
  • Runway 16R/34L is 3,962 metres long, 16L/34R 2,438 metres and 07/25 2,530 metres, all 45 metres wide; the two parallel runways are 1,037 metres apart, and 16R/34L and 07/25 take Code F aircraft. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, appendices), Aug 2026)
  • Terminal 1, the international terminal, opened in 1970 and has 25 contact gates with aerobridges plus a walk-up gate, in about 288,000 square metres of floor space. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, appendices), Aug 2026)
  • T1 has 216 check-in counters, 15 check-in kiosks, 18 conventional and 24 eGate departure passport positions, 44 conventional and 22 SmartGate arrival positions, and 12 baggage reclaim units. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, appendices), Aug 2026)
  • The T2 piers serve up to 23 contact gates and T3, the Qantas domestic terminal, a nominal 16; together they have more than 140,000 square metres of floor space and are not linked at terminal level. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, appendices), Aug 2026)
  • About 115 aircraft stands serve international, domestic, regional and freight flights. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, appendices), Aug 2026)
  • The ACCC rated Sydney's quality of service "good" in 2024-25; in 17 responses airlines rated it "satisfactory", scoring runways, taxiways, aprons and ground handling highly but aerobridges, check-in and baggage processing low. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Sydney scored an average of 3.66 across 105 quality measures: 30 from airline surveys, 48 from passenger surveys and 27 objective indicators. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • Sydney Airport's hotels had 83 percent occupancy in 2025, with monthly occupancy averaging around 90 percent in the second half. (Sydney Airport (2025 annual review), May 2026)

Facility figures come from the appendices of Sydney Airport's Master Plan 2045 and describe the airport when the plan was prepared. The ACCC's quality ratings combine airline and passenger surveys with measured indicators.

What are Sydney Airport's emissions and noise figures?

The airport's own emissions are tiny next to those of the aircraft using it. It has bought only renewable electricity since January 2025 and aims for net zero for its own operations by 2030.

  • Sydney Airport's gross emissions in 2025 were 61,633 tCO2e: 5,989 tCO2e Scope 1 and 55,644 tCO2e Scope 2 on a location basis; its market-based total equalled its Scope 1 emissions, after it moved to 100% renewable electricity from 1 January 2025. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, Section One), Aug 2026)
  • Its Scope 3 emissions were 8,602,037 tCO2e in 2025, of which aircraft-related operations made up 8,314,561. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, Section One), Aug 2026)
  • The airport earned Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4 in May 2025 and has been the airport representative on the Australian Jet Zero Council since November 2025. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, Section One), Aug 2026)
  • Its Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions were 93% below the 2018-19 baseline in 2025, Scope 1 emissions fell 6 percent from 6,391 tCO2e, and Scope 1 and 2 together were about 0.7% of its total emissions. (Sydney Airport (2025 annual review), May 2026)
  • The airport produced 6,279 tonnes of operational waste in 2025, down 4%; 1,200 tonnes, 27% of non-biosecurity waste, was recycled, and 3,310 tonnes went to landfill, down 5%. (Sydney Airport (2025 annual review), May 2026)
  • Almost two million litres of unblended sustainable aviation fuel imported in May 2025 was enough, blended at about 18 percent, for the equivalent of 900 Qantas 737 flights to Auckland, cutting an estimated 3,400 tonnes of emissions, the airport says. (Sydney Airport (2025 annual review), May 2026)
  • Sydney Airport is bringing in 50 electric buses, 25 apron buses and 25 Citirider shuttles, to replace diesel vehicles, powered by renewable electricity. (Sydney Airport (electric bus release), Sep 2026)
  • Aircraft noise complainant numbers stayed high after the 9 July airspace changes for Western Sydney International, Airservices said in its September 2026 overview. (Airservices Australia (network overview, Sep 2026), Oct 2026)
  • The airport's 2045 noise forecast (ANEF) was endorsed for technical accuracy by Airservices Australia on 26 February 2026. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan web page), Nov 2026)
  • The Minister said the airport's projected noise footprint in 2045 is lower than current levels. (Minister for Infrastructure (Master Plan approval), Aug 2026)

Emissions are as reported by Sydney Airport. The 93% cut is for Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions; the annual review gives the baseline as 2018-19 and the Master Plan as 2019. Scope 3 covers emissions from others at the airport, mostly aircraft. The fuel saving is the airport's own estimate.

What does Sydney Airport plan for 2045?

The approved Master Plan 2045 expects international traffic to more than double and domestic traffic to grow by under half, with T2 and T3 joined into one domestic precinct. Western Sydney International, a separate new airport, opens alongside it and is planned for in Sydney Airport's forecasts.

16.3m International 2024 36.4m International 2045 forecast 25.1m Domestic 2024 36.2m Domestic 2045 forecast
View data table
Passengers at Sydney Airport in 2024 and the Master Plan 2045 forecast for 2045, in millions, by type of traffic. The 2045 figures are forecasts by Sydney Airport, not counts.
PeriodValueNote
International 202416.3m
International 204536.4mforecast
Domestic 202425.1m
Domestic 204536.2mforecast
Passengers at Sydney Airport in 2024 and the Master Plan 2045 forecast for 2045, in millions, by type of traffic. The 2045 figures are forecasts by Sydney Airport, not counts. (Sydney Airport (Master Plan 2045, Section One), Aug 2026)

All 2045 figures are forecasts by Sydney Airport in its Master Plan 2045, which the Minister approved on 11 August 2026, and they allow for Western Sydney International taking some traffic. The plan's growth rates for flights are not used because it gives two different values, and Sydney Airport has published different forecasts of future jobs, so none are used. Western Sydney International is a different airport and none of its figures are in Sydney Airport's totals on this page.

What is Sydney Airport worth to the economy?

Economic figures are estimates made for or by Sydney Airport, and the 2045 figure is a forecast.

How does Western Sydney International fit in?

  • Western Sydney International, a separate airport, was expected to open in the second half of 2026, with freight from July and passengers from October, and an initial capacity of about 10 million passengers a year, the ACCC reported in March 2026. (ACCC (airport monitoring report 2024-25), Mar 2026)
  • The Qantas Group plans to fly its first Qantas and Jetstar services from Western Sydney Airport. (Qantas Group (Annual Report 2026), Aug 2026)

These are plans as stated at the dates shown. Western Sydney International figures are never added to or compared with Sydney Airport's.

Glossary

SYD
The IATA code for Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.
BITRE
The Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, the Australian Government's transport statistics agency.
RPT
Regular public transport: scheduled airline flights. BITRE's airport figures cover RPT flights only and leave out charters.
Revenue passengers
Paying passengers on scheduled flights, counted by BITRE as they arrive and depart.
Aircraft movements
Take-offs and landings. BITRE counts scheduled airline flights only; Airservices Australia counts every aircraft.
Airservices Australia
The government agency that runs air traffic control in Australia.
ACCC
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which monitors prices, profits and service quality at the four largest airports.
EBITA
Earnings before interest, tax and amortisation, the operating profit measure the ACCC uses.
EBITDA
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, as reported in the owner's accounts.
Financial year
The Australian financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June; 2024-25 means July 2024 to June 2025.
Uplift/discharge
BITRE counts international passengers between the ports where they board and leave a flight, which can include travel beyond those ports.
Load factor
The share of available seats filled by paying passengers.
Slot
Permission for an airline to land or take off at Sydney at a set time, issued by the independent slot manager.
Curfew
The legal ban on most aircraft movements at Sydney between 11pm and 6am.
Code F
The largest class of aircraft by wingspan, which includes the Airbus A380.
ANEF
Australian Noise Exposure Forecast, a map of expected aircraft noise used for land-use planning.
Scope 1, 2 and 3
Emissions from the airport's own fuel use (1), from the electricity it buys (2), and from others such as airlines (3).
tCO2e
Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, the unit for greenhouse gas emissions.
A-CDM
Airport collaborative decision making, a system for sharing flight timing data between the airport, airlines and air traffic control.
SmartGate
Automated passport control kiosks run by the Australian Border Force.
WSI
Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, a separate new airport in western Sydney.
Master Plan
Sydney Airport's long-term plan for traffic, land use and building, approved by the federal Minister.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from BITRE's airport traffic, international airline, domestic aviation and on-time performance data, Airservices Australia, the ACCC, Sydney Airport's traffic releases, Master Plan 2045 and 2025 annual review, the audited accounts of its owner, the Australian Government, Transport for NSW, the ABS, the Australian Border Force, Qantas and Virgin Australia. Each figure links to the body that produced it, with the date. BITRE's revenue passenger count is the main series; Sydney Airport's own terminal counts and the figures it reports to the ACCC appear only with their own labels, and ABS visitor figures are by state of stay, not airport. BITRE's airline-only aircraft movements and Airservices' all-aircraft movements are kept apart, as are international and domestic freight, calendar and financial years, and BITRE's and the airport's punctuality measures. Forecasts and plans are labelled with who made them and when, and Western Sydney International's figures are never merged with Sydney's. Dollar amounts are Australian dollars. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.