Sydney Airport Expecting Busiest Easter For Six Years

Sydney Airport is preparing for a bustling Easter and school holiday peak, with 2.5 million passengers set to travel through its terminals between April 9th and 29th.

During the peak, one million passengers will pass through the T1 international terminal, making it the busiest Easter school holiday period since 2019, and a 9% increase on the same period in 2024.

On the domestic front, 1.5 million passengers are expected to travel through the T2 and T3 Domestic terminals, more than 3% up on 2024.

With 130,000 more passengers than last year, this represents a more than 5% increase on passenger volumes during the same 21-day April school holiday period in 2024.

Photos by Greg Fonne.

Sydney Airport CEO, Scott Charlton, said: “We’re gearing up for our busiest April school holidays in six years and have boosted our staffing to assist the hundreds of thousands of passengers taking a break over Easter.

“Over the past six months, we’ve achieved a 99% success rate in getting passengers through security in under 10 minutes, and we’re committed to maintaining that efficiency during the holidays.

“The ongoing growth in passenger numbers reflects the introduction of new services and increased capacity from airlines, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more flights and new airline partners throughout 2025.

“To keep up with this demand, we’re investing across the airport – from terminals to the airfield – to improve efficiency and enhance the experience for passengers.

“While these improvements are underway, the journey through the airport might be a bit different than usual. We appreciate everyone’s patience and wish passengers a safe and happy holiday.”

Screening upgrades at T1 International for a better experience

Works are continuing at the T1 International terminal to roll out 15 new screening lanes at the T1 International terminal, featuring advanced CT scanning technology, with five new lanes already in operation.

According to STD, this upgrade will boost its screening capacity by nearly 30%, allowing passengers to leave liquids and aerosols in their carry-on luggage, while increasing passenger throughput from 4,500 to 5,850 passengers per hour.

The project will reorient security screening ahead of passport control to make passenger flow more efficient and reduce wait times, with the full 15 lane upgrade expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Aerial by Seth Jaworski.

Major redevelopment at T2 domestic

Following the school holiday period, from May 1, 2025, construction will begin on the A$200 million upgrade to the T2 domestic terminal, with the upgrade aimed at getting passengers from kerb to gate in 15 minutes.

To facilitate construction, Rex Airlines and Fly Pelican passengers will depart from the T3 domestic terminal from April 8, 2025. Jetstar check-in facilities will also be temporarily relocated by April 28, 2025, to share the space currently utilised by Virgin Australia.

Key features of the upgrade include self-service check-in kiosks and advanced bag drop systems, which will increase baggage processing rates by 300 bags per hour.

New next-generation security technology and state-of-the-art scanners will allow passengers to leave laptops and aerosols in their hand luggage and more than double the capacity of each security lane from 235 to 500 passengers an hour.