Strong Q4 buoys Sydney Airport full-year passenger traffic
A strong final quarter helped Sydney Airport passenger traffic climb by +7.1% year-on-year to 41.4 million in 2024. The number was still -6.8% behind pre-pandemic 2019.
AUSTRALIA. A strong final quarter helped Sydney Airport passenger traffic climb by +7.1% year-on-year to 41.4 million in 2024. The number was still -6.8% behind pre-pandemic 2019.
16.3 million international passengers passed through Sydney Airport in 2024, representing a +12.1% increase on 2023, with domestic passenger numbers hitting 25 million, up by +4.1%.
Sydney Airport closed out 2024 with the strongest quarterly passenger traffic since 2019, with 11 million passengers passing through the terminals in Q4, a +5% increase on Q4 2023 and 94.4% of the number in Q4 2019.
International passenger volumes in Q4 were especially strong, increasing by +7.4% on Q4 2023, with the 4.35 million passengers representing a 99.1% recovery rate on the previous record quarter in Q4 2019.
International travel by Australians rose in the quarter, with +8.4% more travelling than in the same quarter in 2019. Travel by South Korean, Indian and Philippine passport holders was also well above 2019 levels.
Domestic and regional passenger traffic was up +3.5% compared to Q4 2023, with 6.65 million passengers coming through the T2 and T3 terminals.
Sydney Airport hailed its best operational performance on record, with 100% of international passengers and 99.9% of domestic passengers passing through security in less than ten minutes in Q4.
Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton said: “41 million passengers is a strong result that reflects the ongoing demand for travel, boosting the almost A$40 billion contribution we make to the national economy on a yearly basis.
“The momentum for international travel was especially strong in the last few months of the year and the addition of new partners like Turkish Airlines and Juneyao Air, and positive discussions we’ve been having with prospective partners, sets us up well for 2025.
“What is really pleasing is our operations in the context of the demand we are seeing. Every quarter we’re directing our resources to the areas that will improve the metrics that matter to passengers.
“We’re focused on maximising the performance of our existing facilities, before building expensive infrastructure. Our goal is to ensure that the infrastructure we have operates at its best, delivering maximum benefit to both our airline partners and passengers.
“When we do invest, we’ll do so with a clear focus on enhancing the passenger experience and improving on-time performance. Our strong pipeline of projects is designed to support our growth ambitions, as we build in line with demand. We firmly believe this approach is in the best interest of both our airline partners and the more than 40 million passengers who travel through Sydney Airport each year.”
*Sydney Airport will host the 2025 Australian Airports Association (AAA) Retail & Commercial Forum, which takes place on 21-23 July. Hosted and co-organised by a partnership between the AAA, The Mercurius Group and The Moodie Davitt Report, the fast-growing Forum, now in its fourth year, will be held at Sofitel Wentworth in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. 
