Travel information for Sydney Airport
Located near Botany Bay in the suburb of Mascot is the Sydney Airport in New South Wales. It is Australia’s largest and busiest airport and is the hub for a number of airline companies and is the main hub for Qantas. It handles millions of passengers from all over the world ever year and was once classed the 28th busiest airport in the world.
The airport has three runways which are known as the “East West”, “North-South” and the “Third” runways and occupies the smallest land area of any capital city airport of Australia. The Sydney Airport is one of the oldest operating airports in the world and dates back to the early 1930’s when the first gravel runway’s where completed. In the 1960’s the airport received its first refurbishment with the new international terminal being built and was then later opened on the 3rd of May 1970 by Queen Elizabeth II. The Airport was originally named Kingsford Smith Airport after Charles Kingsford Smith and to this very day that name still remains.
The Sydney Airport has undergone many transformations over the years and refurbishments to accommodate the growing number of domestic and international flights that fly into this airport every day. Back in the 1970’s the north-south runway was extended to be able to handle the growing number of planes flying in and out and also became the longest runway in the southern hemisphere.
In 1992 it became apparent that the international terminal needed to be expanded and since then it has seen many refurbishments since then to accommodate the thousands of people that pass through its gates every day.
There have been a few controversial arguments that have surfaced over the years regarding the Sydney Airport namely regarding the increased noise pollution over certain suburbs surrounding the airport due to the increase in air traffic. Because of this the Howard Government while still in power introduced a number of rules to accommodate Sydney residents as the idea of shifting the airport elsewhere was quickly shelved.
The Sydney Airport is one of the first ports of call for people coming into Australia and one of the last ports of call for anyone departing the country too. Because of this, the international airport sector has undergone two large expansions since its original completion and one of the expansions is spaced out over the next twenty years and is due to complete in 2025.
There will be new office blocks, a new multi story car park for anyone who wants to leave the car safe and secure while travelling around as well as the expansion of not only the international terminal but also the domestic terminal as well.
The Sydney Airport is a hive of activity with gift stores, restaurants, cafes, bars, lounge bars, boutiques and best of all duty free shopping for anyone travelling internationally. Everything has been thought of for anyone who is taking a trip, from exchanging money, purchasing traveler’s cheques, buying a good book to read through to simply relaxing before you make your journey. It is a place where you come to meet your loved ones as well as see them off before the take to the air.